Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette
by Lilac Moon
Summary: 24th in the FD Vig srs. Six months have passed since the events in Wicked Planet. Luke prepares for the trials and his impending fatherhood and the questions surrounding Natalie's origins are answered, as she and Jayden face these revelations together.
1. Part 1 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest Forever Destined Vignette. **Six months **have passed since the events of Wicked Planet. Enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!

Here's an age check on the younger generation:

Luke and Leia: 18

Mara: 18

Kimberly: 17

Shane: 20

Ryoo: 24

Lando: 28

Pooja: 21

Adam: 22

Jayden, Jenna, and Natalie: 15(very soon to be 16)

Marcus: 15

Will: 8

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 1/?

Callista sat in her lavish apartment and sipped at a glass of grandana berry juice. Grandana berry juice without a spike of vodka. She put her hand to her growing baby bump and sighed. This was her life now, at least for another three months. She complained a lot, mostly to irritate the Skywalkers, but taking care of herself wasn't all bad. She missed partying and drinking sometimes, but she had admit, waking up every morning without a hangover or in some strange man's bed without any memory of how she got there, was actually somewhat refreshing. She knew her former lifestyle was dangerous and likely would someday see to her end, but she knew that wouldn't stop her from going back to it once she had the baby. This good, healthy lifestyle just wasn't her. She could have had a good life with Luke, despite their age difference, if she hadn't purposely spat on it. If she was truthful, love and commitment scared the hell out of her, far more than her lifestyle of partying and drinking, as ludicrous as it might sound. But a sweet kid like Luke deserved far better than a washed up witch like her.

"_Callista…are you listening?"_ Rayna asked over the comm.

"Of course, my Queen," she replied, as she finished her juice.

"_That is non-alcoholic, right?"_ Rayna asked. Callista rolled her eyes.

"Completely. Just boring old juice. Padme's droid regularly searches this place to make sure it's completely dry. That woman is so annoyingly good, it's nauseating. She makes the morning sickness worse," Callista complained.

"_You could learn a few things from Padme. She is a very strong, gracious woman. She is very lucky and she knows it, so she makes sure her family is taken care of," _Rayna said. Callista huffed in annoyance. Rayna always referred to Padme as being lucky, because the truth was that Rayna would give anything to trade places with Padme Skywalker. If she thought she had any kind of chance with Anakin, she would be taking up the mantle as Dathomir's Senator instead of handing the task to her younger brother.

"_Raynald will be arriving soon. Will you be present to greet him?" _Rayna asked, referring to her younger brother.

"Of course my Queen, but are you certain Raynald is the right choice for our representative?" Callista asked.

"_He is very intelligent and well educated in history, law, and politics. He is the best choice and perhaps by allowing a male to represent us, we can truly show that we are now a society where our genders are treated equally," _Rayna said.

"I hope so. The Holonet does enjoy portraying us as a bunch of man hating witches though," Callista mentioned.

"_I know, but it will take time to rebuild our image. Besides, you know much of what the Holonet portrays is exaggerated," _Rayna said. Callista nodded.

"I'll have my padawan guard take me to the landing pad to greet Prince Raynald," Callista said.

"_Thank you. How are you feeling lately?" _Rayna asked.

"Aside from the morning sickness, fairly well. I'm bored out of my mind all the time though. The things these Skywalkers find entertaining are mind numbing. Family picnics, dinners, dancing. And they only let their kids go to a club that's completely alcohol free, while Anakin actually takes his wife to plays and operas without complaining. All this sugary sweetness is going to give me a mouthful of cavities," Callista complained.

"_Could it be that you are a little jealous of the life they have? That you may have ruined your chances of having a family yourself?"_ Rayna asked.

"If we're being honest, I think we both know which one of us wants what Padme Skywalker has and that's Anakin. And as for Luke and me, you know that I would have been bored inside of a week with family life. It's all nice on the surface, but it's not for me. I'm just not built for it, regardless of how much I wish I was sometimes," Callista replied.

"_You do love to remind me of my infatuation with Anakin, don't you? But you know I would never be foolish enough to attempt to pursue him. I know that I am not the one the Chosen One is supposed to be with, no matter how much I wish I was. And as for Skywalker family life, I've heard that it's anything but boring for them. However, I do believe that you and Luke are like oil and water, though I don't believe you should give up on love altogether," _Rayna said.

"Neither should you, my Queen. You may yet still meet _your _Chosen One," Callista mused.

"_That's enough of your teasing. Be safe and well,"_ Rayna said.

"Goodbye for now, my Queen," Callista replied, as the holocom went dark. Callista stood up and decided to get ready to go down to the landing pad to greet the Prince.

* * *

><p>Padme giggled, as he tickled her again. They were having lunch in her office or rather had already had lunch and had moved onto much more entertaining things.<p>

"Stop…" she said, but she didn't really mean it. He knew that and so when he kissed her passionately, she melted in his arms. Anyone that didn't know them would perhaps think that they were newlyweds, not that they had been in fact married for over twenty years. Those that did know them well knew that this was just the way they were and that the honeymoon faze, as it was often called, would never end for them. Padme squeaked, as he backed her onto her desk and she responded to his kiss with eager passion. Her body thrilled and she ran her hands along his chest, loving the feel of his hard muscle beneath his tunic. But as her chrono chimed, it brought her back to reality unfortunately.

"Mmm…we have to stop," she said.

"Why? Being in your office hasn't stopped us before," he replied huskily. She smirked.

"I know, but it's not because of that. We have to go properly greet the Prince of Dathomir upon his arrival," she replied. He groaned.

"Remind me why we agreed to not only greet him, but have dinner _and_ attend the opera with him?" he asked.

"Because it's the proper thing to do, being that our testimony was a very big reason that Dathomir was admitted to the Republic at all. Many are still uneasy about this decision, but they deserve their fair chance and we have to show that we are sticking by our testimony by being gracious hosts for the evening," Padme answered. He groaned and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"But we'll have tonight after we get home and then we can pick up where we left off," she promised. He smirked.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he replied. His lips drew her kiss.

"You better handsome," she said, as their lips met again.

* * *

><p>Sav smirked victoriously, as their shuttle touched down on the landing pad at the Senate. He had been reluctant six months ago to return to Dathomir with the Queen when he had really wanted to stay on Coruscant to be closer to Kimberly. Leaving her to continue to grow closer to Shane Organa had not sat well with him at all, but when he found out that Prince Raynald would be taking up the coveted mantle of Dathomir's Senator, he had vied for a position as one of his bodyguards. He had dueled his brothers fiercely for the position and defeated nearly all of them, his determination burning through the competition, which had earned him one of the three positions. Now Coruscant was his new home and he was no longer a second class worker on their home world. He was the bodyguard to a Senator now and would be living a very lavish lifestyle on Coruscant. And in his free time, he would politely, yet actively pursue the sweetest, most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He would capture her heart, he was determined to. And if that meant something tragic would by chance have to happen to Organa for that to happen, then he would see to that as well.<p>

They landed and the three bodyguards went down the ramp first, followed by the Prince, and his two female assistants. Waiting to greet them was Senator Skywalker and her family. The Prince bowed graciously.

"Senator Skywalker, it is an honor to finally meet you in person and you as well, Master Skywalker. Thanks to you, change is slowly being brought to our world and we are finally seeing some kind of equality. There are many still steadfastly against a male representing our planet in the Senate, but without the two of you, my chance to bring about change for my world personally would have never been possible. We'll be forever grateful to the both of you. And it will be my highest honor to serve beside two people that have done so much good for this galaxy," Raynald said. And his words were sincere, Anakin sensed.

"We're just happy that things are improving and that your sister selected someone to represent the people that truly has their best interests at heart. We will see you to Republica 500 to your new residence and then we hope you will join us at the Calrissian resort for dinner and then at the opera this evening," Padme said.

"It would be my privilege and honor to spend the evening with your family," Raynald replied, as they boarded the transport where Raynald would be introduced to all of them. But Shane and Sav, who had already been very much introduced, shared a hard look, as they boarded the transport.

* * *

><p>Natalie smiled, as she and Jayden danced at Calin's resort, following dinner with their families and the Prince of Dathomir.<p>

"Can you believe we're going to be sixteen in a week?" Natalie asked. He smiled.

"I know and I think we should do something special to celebrate together, you know, aside from the family celebration, just the two of us," he replied. She looked at him slyly.

"You sound like you've been planning something," Natalie said. He smirked.

"I have, but I'm not telling you. It's going to be a surprise," he replied.

"But it's your life day too and Jenna's. You deserve a surprise too," she said.

"My surprise is getting to spend it with you and as for Jen, it's Marcus' responsibility to give her a life day surprise," he replied. She smiled at him. He really was very sweet and handsome too. She was very lucky, but she knew it had more to do with the Will of the Force, rather than luck. When Jayden's father had first found her in the alleyway, so long ago, he had taken her first to the Temple for a medical examination. The Healers there, after determining that her midichlorian count was only two-thousand, five hundred, significantly higher than most humans, but not enough for to become a Jedi, also ran several other tests on her. And it was determined that she had been born only a few days earlier on the exact day that Jayden and Jenna had also been born. It was just another reason that they all believed that it had been no accident that she was found by Anakin.

"Well, I don't know what you have planned, but I know it's going to special, as long as we're together," she told him. He smiled, as he leaned in and pressed his lips tenderly to hers. They were very young and very much in love. Everything was so new and exciting, especially when it came to the physical aspects of their relationship. Jayden had endured teasing about this unusual closeness he and Natalie had from a very young age. The teasing had turned to rumors in their preteen years, with most of his peers thinking that he and Natalie were already sleeping together. But the worst part of that was the Holonet rumors about them, which also said the same things. They both had even been put through a long discussion with both sets of their parents about being publicly affection with each other. Mostly this had been instigated by Natalie's father. He liked Jayden a lot and didn't worry about him taking advantage of her or not taking care of her, but he worried about the rumors having an adverse effect on their reputations which he thought could haunt them later. Anakin and Padme were more used to over exposure in the Holonet and had done their best to assure Bail that anything the Holonet said about them would only do minimal damage. Anakin and Padme were proof of that. Many did not understand the depth of Anakin and Padme's love, not even Bail and Breha, so they naturally had a much harder time understanding Jayden and Natalie's own mystical connection. Even the two young people were only beginning to experience the wonder of it themselves. Jayden pulled away, suddenly realizing that there were reporters snapping holos.

"We kissed in public again," he said, rolling his eyes. She shook her head.

"So what, let them take their holos," Natalie replied.

"What if your dad is right? What if our relationship ends up interfering with your education or getting opportunities that otherwise might not be denied to you," Jayden worried.

"If they can't separate my professional life from my personal life, then they can take their opportunities and shove them. If I can't be with you, then it's not an opportunity I want," she replied firmly, as she extinguished what little daylight there was between them and initiated another kiss. Jayden eagerly responded and let her fill his senses completely. Neither noticed that they were carefully being watched, before the figure in the shadows slipped away outside the building. The woman, small and petite under her Mandalorian armor, with dark hair seemed satisfied with what she saw. She put her helmet back on and then slipped back into the shadows…

* * *

><p>Back inside, Luke approached Callista, who was having a snack at the dessert table.<p>

"You feeling okay?" he asked. She forced herself not to smile. The boy was too damned good. Whatever girl snagged him in the future would be a lucky one.

"I'm fine, just hungry, as usual. And don't worry, it's just juice in this glass," Callista replied.

"I know. You wouldn't do anything to hurt the baby, not now anyway," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"And how do you know that? I'm pretty bad, you know," Callista joked.

"You're not half as bad as you pretend to be. And only someone who is completely evil would intentionally harm a baby inside them after they had been carrying it for six months. You're not evil, no matter how hard you try to make my mom believe that you are," Luke replied. She smirked.

"You're going to make one hell of a Jedi Knight, kid," she said, making him smirk in return.

"And one hell of a dad too," she added. He smiled.

"Thanks," he replied.

"Now enough of this mushy stuff. I'd like to go home now, because there is no way in seven Sith hells that I'm sitting through one of those corny operas," Callista complained. Luke rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I'll go pull my speeder around," he replied, as he headed outside.

* * *

><p>"He seems like he'll do very well," Padme mentioned, as she and Anakin danced.<p>

"Yeah, I'm actually impressed. He really genuinely cares about his people. I can't say that about many politicians, aside from you, Bail, and a few of our other friends," Anakin replied. She smiled.

"Kind of refreshing for a change, isn't it?" she asked. He nodded.

"Definitely, especially with everything we've faced in the last few years," he replied. They had been embroiled in a legal battle with Clovis the last six months. There had been a very lengthy investigation and the results would soon be brought before a judge in a small hearing that would determine whether Clovis would go to trial or even be charged at all. He knew Padme just wanted it to go away. But he was having trouble letting go of what Clovis tried to do. He knew Clovis maintained his story that he was under the complete control of the Sith parasite the entire time, but Anakin knew that Clovis had some control of his thoughts during those two years where he was possessed off and on by Sifo-Dyas. He just couldn't prove it, because Clovis' attorney had blocked the Jedi from doing a complete examination of his mental health. The Force would have told the truth and he knew that was why Clovis had made sure to keep the Jedi involvement here as minimal as possible. The problem with that was that non Force users, like those examining and overseeing the case, could not understand fully how a Force possession worked like the Jedi did. And Anakin knew it was likely they may believe that he had no control over his actions or his mind. He knew he shouldn't dwell on it and he knew he should let it go, but it was very difficult for him to do so.

"You're focusing on the negative, my love. I'm right here, in your arms, and I'm fine," she assured him. He nodded.

"I know and Obi-Wan has told me the same thing. But I can't just let him get away with what he did to you. I've seen the way he looks at you, Padme, and part of him enjoyed every minute he had around you. He could have stopped it long before it got to the point that it did," he replied.

"You're probably right and I would be lying if I said that my skin doesn't crawl every time I have to look at him now, but I would rather he just go away," Padme said. He softened and realized how hard it had to be for her to keep facing him this way.

"I'm sorry angel, I've just been thinking about him paying for what he did so much that I forgot that you still have to go through seeing him in the Senate, not to mention facing him in these hearings," he said regrettably.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're only trying to see that I'm protected and that my honor is defended," she replied, smiling at him.

"It's what you do and you do it so well. I just hope that if they decide that he won't face prison time that he'll at least realize that he shouldn't continue with his term and resign," Padme continued.

"I wish he would too, but I'm afraid they're going to have to force him out of office," Anakin replied.

"Well, his term is up in another six months. If his people are smart, they'll elect someone else. But I don't want to talk about him anymore," Padme said. He smiled.

"What do you want to talk about, angel?" he asked. She smirked and kissed his cheek.

"We can talk later," she whispered, as she kissed his lips passionately. He eagerly responded, as they continued to sway to the soft music.

* * *

><p>Sav couldn't take his eyes off her. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it, for he had been denied in seeing her for the last six months. She was beautiful and he found himself naturally fantasizing about being with her. Her caramel hair fell around her in waves and the soft yellow flowing gown fit her figure perfectly. It was strapless, leaving her shoulders bare and his hormones going wild. But in his longing gaze quickly turned to a scowl, as he watched her laugh at something Organa said. In his absence, it seemed they had only grown closer, much to his dismay. He had been hoping things would cool off between them and that there would be an opening for him. But that wasn't so and he didn't understand it at all. Organa was so wrong for her! Why couldn't she see that? She needed someone strong like him and not some bookish wannabe General. He could make her happier than he could, he was certain of it. And so the moment Organa went to refill their drinks, he made his move.<p>

"Kimberly…it's so wonderful to see you again," Sav said, coming on strongly from the beginning by surprising her with a hug. She looked alarmed and quickly pried herself away from him.

"Sav, how are you?" she asked nicely.

"I'm well, though I have missed seeing you every day. But now that I am a bodyguard for Prince Raynald, perhaps we will see much more of each other," he replied.

"Wow, a bodyguard to the Prince. That's a very honorable profession," she complimented, as she subtly glanced sideways, hoping for Shane's quick return.

"Thank you, your approval means a lot to me. It is definitely a step up from my old profession and the best part is the perk of getting to be on the same planet as the most lovely healer I've ever met," he said, trying to flatter her. However, his adoration was only making her increasingly uncomfortable. She looked around uneasily and tried not to look at him.

"That's kind of you to say," Kimberly stammered, cursing herself inwardly. Kimberly was well aware that she was not good at being forward and assertive. She had always feared unnecessarily hurting someone's feelings. Even when they deserved it, Kimberly always immediately felt guilty for putting someone in their place. Her mother and sisters had no such problem being assertive when they needed to be. It was something she had always needed to work on in social situations. Her soft spoken ways and need to make people feel good was a very huge asset to her as a healer, which was part of her amazing gift. But in social situations, it had always proved to be a detriment to the point that she knew her parents often worried about people taking advantage of her.

"Kimberly, I would love it if you would do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked.

"Um…I don't think so," she replied.

"Please," he pleaded.

"I don't really want to," she replied, still trying to be nice.

"Just one dance," he continued to plead.

"She said she doesn't want to, but I see that you're still hard of hearing," Shane snapped, as he returned with their drinks. Sav smirked.

"Well, if it isn't General Organa, trying to order people around again. But I'm not one of your soldiers," Sav retorted.

"She doesn't want to dance with you. She's just too sweet to tell you off, but luckily I'm not so sweet. Get lost," Shane said. Sav smirked again.

"Maybe you're the one she doesn't want. Maybe she's just too nice to tell you," Sav replied, as they kept inching closer to each other. Kimberly tried to pull Shane back to avoid confrontation.

"Please, don't fight," she pleaded. Suddenly Kimberly felt Sav's hand grip her arm.

"I'd really like to share a dance. Please allow me to escort you," Sav said politely, though his grip on her arm was probably harder than he even realized it was.

"You have two seconds to get your hand off her and think really hard about your next action, because if you don't let her go now, after I'm done with you, Master Skywalker will be next to deal with you," Shane threatened.

"Too afraid to take me on without Master Skywalker's help, I see?" Sav taunted. But it was Shane's turn to smirk.

"Not at all. I'd just rather not make a mess of you in front of the woman I love. But you'll be lucky to only deal with me, because I don't think Kimberly's father will appreciate your overzealous attempts to pursue his daughter, who clearly isn't interested," Shane told him. Sav then noticed Anakin had picked up on the tension and was now staring intently at him. He was no fool and was quick to disuse the situation.

"My deepest apologies, Kimberly. I'm sorry to have bothered you," Sav said, as he and Shane shared a challenging stare, before the young male Dathomiri returned to his post at Prince Raynald's side.

"Are you okay?" Shane asked. Kimberly nodded.

"Yes, that just escalated faster than I thought. I don't understand his fascination with me," Kimberly replied.

"You're beautiful, compassionate, and talented. It's not hard to see why in my eyes, but he's far too pushy for my comfort," Shane told her.

"I'm nothing special and I'm sure he's still harmless," Kimberly said.

"I wish I had your faith in people, but I don't trust him. I want you to be careful," Shane replied. She smiled to reassure him.

"I'm fine. I love you and I'm with you, after all," Kimberly said. He smiled and hugged her, though nothing had shaken the memory of the look in Sav's eyes when he had grabbed Kimberly's arm. Something about that guy was off, but he was determined to protect her. She was a Jedi and he knew that despite her caring demeanor that she could take care of herself. Still, he didn't trust Sav at all and he was going to make sure he stayed away from Kimberly, even if it meant further confrontations with the Dathomiri bodyguard.


	2. Part 2 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest Forever Destined Vignette. **Six months **have passed since the events of Wicked Planet. Enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 2/?

The beautiful, petite brunette woman slammed the man that was twice her size on his back. He choked air into his lungs and cried out, as blood seeped from the stab wound in his side. She smirked down at him and caressed his face. It would have seemed like a loving touch had she not been the one that had caused the fatal wound in his side with her own vibro blade.

"You _Hut'uun_!" the man spat, using the Mandalorian word for coward.

"Me? Oh, I think we know which one of us is the coward, lover," she hissed, as four other females, also wearing the Mandalorian armor stood by. A beautiful blonde huffed in annoyance.

"Come on already Day'na, end his worthless life so we can get on with our plan," she said.

"Patience Sal'ma," she simply requested.

"Your plan is foolhardy. You and your band of Sith witches will never stand a chance against the true Mandalore rule!" he spat, as blood seeped from his lips.

"Oh, but we will. The Republic sees the true Mandalore, the band of warring infidels, as a destructive threat to them. We're women and we will make peace, a very lucrative peace, and when the time is right, Duchess Satine will be conveniently dethroned and Mandalore will belong to us. But I need our daughter to accomplish this," Day'na replied. The man known as Alvez attempted to laugh, but it turned into a cough, as blood leaked from his mouth faster.

"Our daughter that you abandoned in an alleyway, because you wanted to make sure I never got my hands on her," Alvez spat. Day'na gritted her teeth.

"You were ruthless and vicious then and don't act like that's changed. You and your brothers sought only to take what bounties you could and do any job for money to further your war! You would have saw a baby as simply means to more credits and sold her on the slave market," Day'na spat.

"And you left her to die in an alleyway," he spat back. She smirked.

"Oh no, I knew that the Jedi often patrolled in that vicinity. I knew they would find her and when I learned that it was Anakin Skywalker that found her, I knew it would work in my favor in the future. But I got doubly lucky, because she was adopted by the Royal family of Alderaan and yet she will marry into the Skywalker family. So you see, once I tell them that I had to leave her behind so my evil lover and his goons wouldn't sell her into slavery, I'll become a part of them. They'll slowly be swayed to my cause when I convince them that we want peace for our planet. Then they will help me wipe out the rest of you. Jayden Skywalker, our lovely daughter's beau unknowingly has already taken out the biggest target. You and your brothers are weak without Boba Fett," Day'na spat with malice. He snarled.

"My brothers plan to make that brat pay for taking our leader and the Jedi, fools as they are, will still see right through you," Alvez rasped, as he coughed violently.

"Oh kill that fool already!" Bec'ca, a raven haired woman called.

"They won't see through me, because dear Natalie is going to love her long lost birth mother and feel so sorry for everything she's been through. My daughter is my means to ruling Mandalore. Your death is just a stepping stone," Day'na whispered, as she took her blade and without flinching, quickly slit his throat.

"Finally!" a fiery redhead called Jay'ma exclaimed.

"Now that he's dead, how do you plan to approach this Princess that is supposedly your biological daughter?" a dark blonde haired woman, Tan'na, the final member of her elite, asked.

"The right opportunity will present itself, but I need all of you to remain here while I make nice with my daughter. First, I need to get out of this armor and into some civilian clothes to dress the part," Day'na replied, as she prepared to change her biological daughter's life forever…

* * *

><p><em>The next day<em>

Padme was slightly nervous, as they stood outside the hearing room. The Senate was in recess today, but she was dressed in full Senatorial garb for the final formal hearing.

"You know, I've been thinking, angel. You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. You've been through enough without me insisting on all this," Anakin said, as he stood beside her. She shook her head.

"I'm fine and we were right to press this. Even if he doesn't get any prison time, he needs to realize that his actions, even though he denies they were his own actions, that they have consequences. All Senators do. Too many start to believe that their position means they are above the law. Even if he worms his way out of this, it sends a message. And what kind of example would I be to some of the women I mentor in the shelters? I'm always telling them that they have to press charges and see that their abusers are brought to trial, no matter the outcome. You aren't pushing me to do anything, I promise," she told him, as she pecked him softly on the lips. He nodded, more confident about their course of action now, as Clovis and his entourage arrived.

"Senator Skywalker, so good to see you. The investigation has been completed and we can finally put all this messy business behind us. After you," Clovis' attorney said smugly. Anakin glared at him and led his wife into the room as the others followed. They rose, as the appointed Judge entered. He was a human male and one Padme was unfamiliar with.

"I'm Judge Mursky and I have reviewed this case. I will allow the investigator summarize his conclusions and then I will make my ruling," he announced, as they sat down.

"Inspector Chavis, you have the floor," the Judge said, as he motioned to the appointed investigator.

"Thank you, Judge Mursky. I have thoroughly investigated this matter and have compiled my results. On the night in question, there is no doubt nor is anyone denying that Senator Skywalker was indeed attacked in her home by her colleague, Senator Rush Clovis. However, I have discovered, after conducting interviews and researching cases like this that Senator Rush Clovis was only present in body," the investigator stated.

"Cases like this? There haven't ever been any cases like this," Anakin interrupted, as Padme put her hand on his to steady him.

"Master Skywalker, this will be your only warning to refrain from interrupting, lest you wish the bailiff to remove you," the Judge said sternly.

"_I'd like to see him try to remove me," _Anakin thought darkly.

"_Ani…it's okay," _Padme told him silently. He held his tongue and the Inspector continued.

"Senator Clovis was a victim as well and had no mindful control over his own body due to what has become known as a Force possession. As defined by one Jedi Master Adi Gallia, Force possession renders the subject unwillingly helpless to control themselves or their actions. The subject is completely helpless, especially if the possessor is of the dark side in nature. And according to all parties involved, the possessor is very much of the dark side. While my decision is in no way meant to trivialize Senator Skywalker's traumatic experience, it is my opinion that Senator Rush Clovis should not serve any prison time. However, it is recommended that Senator Clovis refrain from unnecessary contact with Senator Skywalker outside of Senate dealings, sessions, and committees," Inspector Chavis concluded.

"Thank you Inspector. Before I announce my ruling, is there anything either side wishes to say?" the Judge asked.

"Yeah, I have a few things I'd like to say," Anakin said, as his icy gaze swept over the people on the other side of the room.

"You have the floor, Master Skywalker," the Judge responded.

"Thank you. I just want to say that, first of all, this case should have been investigated as a Jedi matter, because no one truly understands the ways of the Force like a Jedi. That being said, I find it a bit suspicious that the Jedi you chose to interview was Master Gallia, rather than Master Yoda, our Order's wisest and most experienced Jedi Grand Master. I believe you would have received a much more complex and detailed explanation of the way Force possessions _really_ work, rather than the simplistic and generic one provided to you by Master Gallia," Anakin said sternly, as Padme put her hand on his.

"There's far more I'd like to say as well, but I will choose to refrain at this time," Anakin added.

"Senator Clovis, you have something to say?" the Judge asked.

"Yes your honor, I just want to say again to Senator Skywalker how sorry I am for what happened and despite the fact that I had no conscious control over my actions, that she can find it in her heart to forgive me one day and perhaps we can even be friends again," Clovis said smoothly.

"_Force choking is bad, my love,"_ Padme reminded, as she felt the temperature slowly start to drop in the room.

"_He knows he's won. Look at the smug smirk on his face," _Anakin growled silently.

"_He's won nothing. I'm yours, after all, and I always will be," _she reminded.

"_I know, I just don't like when someone gets away with hurting the woman I love more than anything_," Anakin said back. Their conversation would continue later when they were alone, but now they would hear the Judge's final word.

"After reviewing this case myself, I have decided to agree with Inspector Chavis' recommendations. Senator Clovis, you will not receive a prison sentence for the attack on Senator Skywalker, as we have found that you had no control over your actions at the time. Thereby, you are free to go, but it is my opinion that you should maintain a distant and strictly professional relationship with Senator Skywalker. Any attempts on your part to pursue anything else may incite need for future restraining orders for Senator Skywalker's protection. I suggest you do no make this necessary," the Judge warned sternly. Clovis nodded.

"This case is dismissed," the Judge said, as they rose and Anakin prepared to lead her out of the room.

"Padme wait," Clovis called. Anakin clenched his teeth. This guy had a lot of nerve and more guts too since his possession by Sifo-Dyas. Padme reluctantly turned.

"I just want to apologize to you personally for this whole mess. I fought your claims, but it was never because I wanted to trivialize what you went through. I just hope that someday you can forgive me," Clovis pleaded.

"I'm sure that I will be able to and I'm positive we can be civil. But friendship would likely be pushing the limits. Good day, Senator," Padme said professionally, as she prepared to leave.

"Anakin, you must know I never meant for any of this to happen," Rush called. Anakin focused his cold gaze on the Senator.

"Maybe…maybe not. I really don't care about _you_ and _your _feelings at this point, not that I ever have. I am only going to say this one final time, Senator Clovis. Stay away from my wife," Anakin warned, as he led her out. As they got on the lift, Padme leaned against him, as he put his arm around her waist.

"I can't believe that investigator asked Adi Gallia of all the Jedi he could have interviewed," Anakin said.

"It's okay. It's over and we don't have to deal with him anymore," Padme replied. He sighed.

"I know and I'm sure he'll keep his distance, if he knows what's good for him," Anakin said, as he kissed her tenderly.

"The Senate is in recess today and I cleared my whole day for this. We have the whole afternoon together," Padme said.

"Whatever will we do all afternoon?" he asked playfully, as their lips met again. He groaned in annoyance though, as his comlink chimed.

"Damn…I forgot about the Council meeting," he cursed.

"That's okay, we'll still have plenty of the day left after that," Padme said.

"I could skip it, you know. All we do is bicker anymore anyway," Anakin suggested.

"No, you need to go and I'll just go visit Sola and Kimberly in the Healer's ward while you're in the meeting," Padme replied.

"There are much more entertaining things we could do at home, you know," he tempted.

"And we will…after the meeting," she promised.

"I love you," he whispered, as he held her close.

"I know. I love you too," she whispered back, as they gazed fondly at each other.

* * *

><p>Natalie stuffed her books and datapads into her locker space, as her final class was over for the day. She should have expected the grilling she was about to get from her two friends, but was still caught by surprise when they made a beeline for her.<p>

"Have you seen the datatabs today?" Cera asked, as she scrolled through her datapad.

"You know I don't read those trashy things," Natalie replied.

"You should. You and lover boy are all over them this morning," Pan added. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"They really should mind their own business. You have no idea how frustrating it is not to be able to go out in public together and show affection without holos being taken left and right," Natalie huffed.

"You better get used to it, Nat. You're dating sexy Jedi boy, whose last name is Skywalker, so you're destined to be splashed all over their pages for life. Look at his parents. They _still_ can't get enough of them either, so you and Jayden are fresh meat," Cera said. Natalie sighed.

"No wonder running away to live together like hermits looks so tempting sometimes," Natalie joked, as she shut her locker space and walked between her two friends. She had unfortunately noticed the looks she was getting from everyone and that there was more staring than usual.

"You know, others in this University kiss their significant others, so why is it such a big deal when I do it?" Natalie wondered.

"Because you and your boy toy are high profile and you know how much people love gossip. And since we're your best friends, we should get the insight to what everyone is wondering. Is Jayden Skywalker a good lover?" Cera teased, as she and Pan enjoyed watching her cheeks turn pink.

"Jayden and I love each other and yes, we were kissing last night, but that doesn't mean it went further or that it ever has gone further than that," Natalie said adamantly.

"Get out, you two are so into each other. Are you really trying to tell us that you two haven't gone all the way?" Cera asked.

"Yes, that's what I'm telling you. We're waiting," Natalie replied.

"Waiting for what? For him to get sexier? Cause I don't think that can happen," Pan teased, as Natalie sighed in exasperation.

"We're barely sixteen and we both have duties and things that are expected of us. And we're in love, so we want to wait for the right time. We'll know it when it's here and even if we were sleeping together, which we're not yet, it wouldn't be anyone's business but ours," Natalie said adamantly.

"Normally yes, but you are both in the public eye," Pan reminded. Natalie nodded.

"I know and I should be used to all the attention. Jayden's parents seem like it doesn't even faze them and they print outlandish things about them all the time. My Mom tells me that I shouldn't let what they say get to me, but I'm not sure she really understands the extent of the attention we get, as much as she tries to. They've never bothered her and daddy as much," Natalie said.

"Have you talked to Jayden's mom?" Pan asked.

"No, but that's probably a good idea," Natalie replied, as they went outside. Jayden was waiting for her and she smiled at him.

"Get out of here and don't let the Holonet vultures stop you from giving him a steamy kiss, because every girl on this campus wants to be in your shoes," Cera said.

"Including Cera," Pan joked, earning her an elbow in the ribs.

"You bet including me. I'd definitely love to ride that, if you get my drift," Cera said seductively. Natalie's mouth dropped open.

"Cera…you're terrible!" Natalie exclaimed.

"No, I just say what you're thinking, Princess. Now don't keep him waiting any longer," Cera said, shooing her away.

"I'll see you both tomorrow," she said, as she shook her head and walked away.

"Hey," Jayden greeted, as they kissed softly.

"Hey," she replied, as she gazed up at him, admiring his handsome features, something she did more and more these days.

"Want to come over for dinner?" he asked. She nodded.

"Of course, I'll comm my parents on the way. I kind of want to talk to your Mom about something later anyway," Natalie replied.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, as they got in. She nodded.

"Yeah, everything's fine. It always is when I'm with you," she replied.

"Stop stealing my lines," he teased.

"Maybe you should find new lines," she challenged back in a teasing tone.

"You're the up and coming future Senator. You're the one that can come up with big fancy ways to say stuff," he retorted, as he dug his fingers into her side, purposely tickling her in one of her most ticklish spots. She laughed out loud and smacked his hand.

"Stop and start driving, handsome," she ordered playfully.

"Yes milady," he drawled back playfully, as the speeder took off.

* * *

><p>Riley stepped out of his speeder, as he approached the crime scene that Rex had called him about. Being a private investigator with Zia Jade-Windu as his partner, they usually only took cases that they were called for specifically. But being that they had built quite the reputation as the best in their business, they were called on quite often. But Rex only called him when he thought there was something significant that he should see and Riley was curious.<p>

"What do we got?" he asked, as three Clones dragged the body out of the dumpster.

"Dumped like trash. Someone hated this guy," Rex said, as he came beside him.

"Is this why you called me?" Riley asked, as his one eye was fixated on the Mandalorian armor.

"You've had a little experience with them so I figured you should see this. I don't know if it's just a random thing or if it means something. It's possible I've been hanging around Anakin too long, but something in my gut tells me that this is significant," Rex replied. Riley nodded.

"I agree. Finally got what was coming to you, didn't you Alvez, you evil bastard," Riley spat.

"You know him?" Rex asked in surprise.

"He used to pal around with Jango and he learned a lot from him. He has been making quite a name for himself as a bounty hunter in the last few years. Not anymore I guess," Riley replied.

"You've kept tabs on him," Rex said.

"With good reason. Jayden killed Boba and so I've been doing what I can to keep tabs on their movements, which isn't easy. I knew there was a chance they would want revenge on Jayden for Boba's death and now that they're on Coruscant, that might be highly likely," Riley replied.

"But how did this guy end up dead?" Rex wondered.

"There's the million credit question, because this guy isn't a pushover. Can you make sure I get a copy of the autopsy report?" Riley asked.

"Consider it done. Are you headed to the Temple?" Rex asked. Riley nodded.

"Jayden is a powerful kid, but he's still a kid and Anakin needs to know about this. I have a bad feeling that this is just the beginning of something a whole lot bigger," Riley said with an uneasy tone, as he got back into his speeder.

* * *

><p>"I believe that is all we have to discuss today," Mace said, as he prepared to conclude the meeting.<p>

"Excuse me Master Windu, but I have one more topic for discussion," Kuro interjected.

"You have the floor, Master Kuro," Mace relented.

"With Master Dooku's death six months ago, it has left young Jenna Skywalker without a Master and I propose that I be allowed to resume her training," Kuro said. Anakin looked at her with a frigid gaze.

"I'm training Jenna," Anakin stated.

"You already have a padawan," Kuro refuted.

"Luke is going to be taking the trials in two months and I understand Jenna's unique powers better than most can," Anakin said sternly.

"I disagree. I believe Jenna's unique abilities require someone less…emotional to teach her the true ways of the Jedi," Kuro retorted, glaring at him.

"She's my daughter and you're the last person I would agree to oversee her training," Anakin growled.

"Her Master is a decision for the Council," Kuro growled back.

"She's my daughter, so it's _my_ final word," Anakin spat.

"The Council only created that rule for you so you could make sure you got the people you wanted training your brats. Attachment makes a Jedi weak and a girl with her kind of power needs to be taught the right way," Kuro replied.

"Really? Attachment makes a Jedi weak? Are you hearing yourself? Because, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's because of my _attachment_ to my family that I've been able to defeat our enemies. And that _attachment_ is called love, by the way," Anakin retorted.

"You're too emotional. If this Council was smart, they wouldn't allow parents to be so involved with the padawans we train, if you ask me," Kuro said with an air of superiority.

"No one ever asks you," Obi-Wan retorted, earning him a glare.

"I must say that most disagree, Master Kuro. Whether or not a Jedi chooses to have a family is their personal choice. We as an Order do not see the benefits in turning away from our families," Mace said. He was very quiet about his personal life and feelings, but those who knew him well, knew that he deeply loved Zia and their daughter Mara.

"Well, as usual it seems that no one save for a select few want to give my suggestions the time of day," Kuro said, as she cast a sideways glance at a few of her colleagues that were in agreement with her position.

"That's because your suggestions involve casting our families away and isolating ourselves from the galaxy. You'd rather have us cooped up in the Temple and only serving causes you deem…worthy," Obi-Wan refuted.

"The Jedi are not policemen, yet we are out carousing the streets and mingling with scum. Those jobs are for regular law enforcement," Kuro argued.

"The Jedi protect those who cannot protect themselves and if that means we're taking spice dealers or human traffickers off the streets, then that is our purpose. We should be out there protecting children and the meek from those with evil in their hearts. Those that are not Force sensitive are no less important than the rest of us," Anakin said passionately. Kuro only huffed.

"Once again you enlighten us all with a passion driven speech. More proof that you're no better than an untrained padawan letting his emotions dictate his use of the Force. You're a disgrace to the traditional Jedi, Chosen One or not," Kuro spat.

"That is enough Kuro! My son is the reason that any of us are here!" Qui-Gon roared. Kuro snarled back at him, as she prepared a retort toward the one that was responsible for the present thorn in her side that was Anakin Skywalker.

"ENOUGH!" Yoda snapped, raising his voice as loud as Anakin had ever heard it. Everyone quieted immediately.

"Quarrelsome this Council has become. Stop…it must or grave danger I fear there will be," Yoda said sadly. Kuro opened her mouth to speak, but Yoda shot her a warning look.

"Speak, you will not dark woman. Heard enough from you today, I have. The Chosen One, Anakin is. His methods, unorthodox they are, but effective they are as well. Learn to co-exist with each other's differences, we must. Remain under her father's tutelage, young Jenna will and continue her joint training with her twin under Master Qui-Gon's training she will as well," Yoda stated firmly, ending the discussion.

"Very well Master," Kuro relented. Anakin shook his head and released his anger and frustration into the Force. What Kuro said about him didn't bother him. He didn't care what she thought of him, but for her to suggest that they weren't fit to raise Jenna was something he wouldn't tolerate and he knew about the horrible things she often said about Padme behind his back. He didn't understand how someone who could spew so much hate claimed they could be an effective Jedi. He left with his father and brother to find Padme and the kids. He needed to cool down and time with his beloved angel and their kids was what he needed right now.


	3. Part 3 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest Forever Destined Vignette. **Six months **have passed since the events of Wicked Planet. Enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 3/?

Cloud City. It was an infamous place in the galaxy where a good time meant all night parties, gambling, shows of all kinds, and clubs. It catered to everyone from every walk of life, from the seedy dives, to average places, to even high end classy establishments. The night life was loud and flashy, an experience all its own. Cloud City was considered the entertainment capital of the galaxy.

But to some, they didn't frequent Cloud City to be entertained or take a vacation. They came there, particularly to the tables, to make their way in the galaxy.

Han Solo was one of those people. In the few years since he took up the old profession that he had learned and lived with his mother, much had happened. Han had indeed returned to the smuggling business, carefully operating outside the Republic, as much as possible and had even met and taken a first mate. He was a Wookie named Chewbacca that he had rescued from a pair of slavers. Since then, Chewie, as Han called him, insisted on fulfilling a life debt which was a common belief for Wookies. Han had initially insisted that it wasn't necessary, but Chewie insisted and the two became partners and friends.

Currently though, Chewie hung back near the bar, as Han engaged in an intense sabaac game.

"Call," Han said, as each player started to reveal their hand. The man across from him smirked.

"Prepare to pay up, kid," he said, as he revealed his hand and prepared to rake the jackpot of credits toward him.

"Not so fast," Han interjected, revealing his hand. The other scoundrel was dumbfounded. He was one of the best and rarely lost. Naturally, he turned angry.

"You little cheat!" he yelled.

"I didn't cheat. It was all just good luck," Han argued.

"Well, your luck has run out!" he growled, as he drew his blaster. But Han was much quicker and fired first. Another scoundrel drew his own weapon, but the angry Wookie stalled him. The man cried out, as the giant Chewbacca tossed him away like nothing, rawling angrily. The others refrained from trying anything else. Han and Chewie collected his winnings and left the seedy cantina.

"Did you see the look on that old codger's face? I'm not sure if was more upset about losing or losing to a kid, not that I'm a kid anymore," Han scoffed.

"_You showed him. Are we going to visit your friend Calrissian now?"_ Chewie spoke in his native Wookie tongue. But Han seemed to understand him perfectly.

"That's the plan. I'm sure Sal will have a crate of good to go to Coruscant," Han replied.

"_Smuggling black market goods to Coruscant is more dangerous than taking them to outer rim locations," _Chewie warned.

"Don't worry, we're not smuggling the hard stuff. The Jedi are busting the bigger offenders. I know for a fact that Skywalker goes after the spice dealers and the slave traders. We're small time in a sea of big time crime on a place like Coruscant. Besides, I happen to know the Skywalkers personally. I've even helped them out before, like that whole mess back on Falleen that I told you about. Trust me, we have an edge on Coruscant," Han said confidently.

"_I hope you're right,"_ Chewie rawled in response, as they returned to the Falcon, intending to find Sal, the man they did much of their business through, and pick up their next means to a payday.

* * *

><p>Natalie helped Padme clear the dinner dishes that evening. Jayden was upstairs changing out of his Jedi attire since they were going to the Calrissian teen hot spot that evening with his siblings and friends. But Natalie, who usually went up to Jenna's room with her, wanted a moment to speak to Padme so she hung behind.<p>

"Thanks for helping me sweetheart, but we can let Threepio take it from here," Padme told her.

"Okay. Can I ask you something?" Natalie asked.

"Of course sweetie," Padme replied.

"How do you not let all the datatab garbage they print about you and Anakin get to you?" Natalie asked in exasperation. Padme smiled slightly and put her arm around her future daughter-in-law. "Well, there's been plenty of times that Anakin has been ready to storm their offices to demand retractions, but I've convinced him that doing so would simply give them more lies to print," Padme started.

"I don't want to tell you that you get used to it exactly, but you do grow some tough skin," Padme told her.

"I just don't know why they're so fascinated with us. I have friends who don't end up on every front page when they kiss their respective boyfriends and they don't have people telling ridiculous lies about them either," Natalie said.

"I know and I know it's really difficult, believe me. They've been saying outlandish things about us for years. But Anakin and I always tell each other that it doesn't matter what they say, because in our hearts, we know the truth and that our love is simply so amazing that they simply can't comprehend it," Padme told her. Natalie smiled.

"You're right, I guess as long as Jay and I know the truth, that's what really matters. I just wish they would find a new hobby," Natalie joked. Padme smiled.

"Me too. And I know it's difficult to ignore them, especially when they print lies about you or Jayden. But unfortunately, it's about all we can do. When people, especially cynical people like these particular reporters, don't understand something, they naturally lash out at it. To them, true love is something strictly from fairy tales and they think if it seems to good to be true, then it probably is. They love stories that build us up so they can tear us down. I'm afraid that you'll find it quite a prevalent theme in public service," Padme explained.

"I'm definitely finding that out," Natalie agreed.

"Believe me, there have been times that I have wished they didn't have so much freedom to print mostly what they please, but I immediately reconsider, because I would never wish our freedoms to be taken away, even if some do abuse them," Padme continued.

"Me either. I just hope that the people close to us don't really believe everything they print about us," Natalie replied.

"Trust me sweetie, those of us close to you know you better and we know better than to believe anything in the datatabs," Padme assured her.

"Thanks, I feel better now. I would have gone to mom, but you understand the connection Jayden and I have better," Natalie explained. Padme smiled.

"I do have a bit of experience with that and you can come to me anytime," Padme told her.

"Hey Nat, are you ready?" Jayden asked, as he came in dressed in more casual civilian clothes and looking as handsome as ever. She nodded and joined hands with him.

"Be safe you two and be home by midnight, Jay," Padme called. Jayden nodded, as he led Natalie out to the veranda and to the speeder he usually borrowed from his dad.

* * *

><p>"I'll see your twenty and I'll raise you fifty," Obi-Wan said, as he put his chips in the center of the table. Rex whistled and debated whether or not to go in. He had a decent hand, but the others at the table were all significantly better than he was at this game. He had made large improvements over the years, in no small thanks to Riley's coaching, but he still was playing against odds he wasn't comfortable with.<p>

"Remind me why we're playing against several Jedi again?" Rex whispered to Riley. Riley rolled his one good eye.

"You were the one that suggested this oh so bright idea of playing sabaac with four Jedi. I'm good, but I ain't that good," Riley scoffed, as he put his chips in to stay in the game.

"I know my limits and I'm not going up against these two with a flimsy pair," Ferus said, referring to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, as he folded.

"Me too, I never beat these two at this game," Anakin said, as he folded. Rex chuckled.

"Yeah, for a Jedi, you're almost worse than me at this," Rex said, poking fun at him.

"Very funny, but there's no one that's worse than you at this game," Anakin retorted.

"Yeah, but he's not a Jedi. Padme's better at sabaac than you," Obi-Wan said, joining in at his little brother's expense. Anakin smirked.

"Padme's better at a lot of things than me. And I tried to learn this dumb game, but you bored me to tears when you tried to teach it to me," Anakin replied. Obi-Wan scoffed.

"No, you just couldn't sit still long enough to learn it properly," Obi-Wan retorted.

"Call," Qui-Gon said, as the four of them that were still in showed their hands.

"I know I have it this time. Beat this," Rex said, revealing a very good hand. The other three men revealed their hands, each one beating Rex's, and the Captain's confidence quickly whittled away.

"Serves you right. You're up against three of the best Sabaac players in the galaxy," Anakin said with a cheesy grin.

"Damn…I have never met someone that could beat me like you," Riley said, as Qui-Gon scooped in his winnings. Rex received the shuffled cards back from Artoo, who was acting as their dealing droid, and started dealing again.

"All right, this one is going to be mine. I can feel in it in my bones," Rex said, causing the other men at the table to either laugh or scoff at him.

* * *

><p>Bail arrived home after an ordinary day spent in his office and in session. Breha happily greeted him with a welcoming kiss.<p>

"Hello darling," he said, with a smile. Since Breha had recovered from her illness just a little over a year ago, their marriage had become stronger than ever, as they spent every moment they could together, making up for time they lost while she was sick for several years. When Bail had discovered that those years had not been stolen from them by a bizarre disease and rather the evils of people vying for her Throne, he had been more than a little angry. To his absolute amazement though, his beloved refused to be angry about it. She accepted it, more readily than he, and decided to embrace the life she had gained back by living it to the fullest. And with her gentle urging, he had put aside the anger, which couldn't change anything, and joined her.

"Hello to you too, handsome. I'm glad you're home," she said.

"I'm glad to be home. Is Natty here?" he asked.

"No, she's with Jayden so I decided it would be the perfect opportunity for us to enjoy a romantic dinner together," she replied, as he noticed the intimate table for two set up and the candles. He smiled.

"That sounds perfect. Just let me go change into something more comfortable and then I'm all yours, beautiful," he said. Unfortunately, someone knocked at their apartment door. He sighed.

"Right after I get rid of whoever is at the door," he added, as they answered it together, finding a dark haired beauty behind it, who looked to be in her thirties. She wore a plain, modest clothing that consisted of a simple tunic and pants. She also had a few visible bruises on her arms and what looked like a slightly dark circle around her eye, hastily covered by make up.

"Can we help you?" Bail asked politely, wondering how this young woman had made it past all the security in the lobby of Republica 500.

"I'm so sorry to bother you. I…I," the woman said, as tears welled in her eyes.

"I shouldn't be here. I'm so sorry," she cried, as she started to walk away.

"Wait…are you in trouble?" Breha asked, immediately reaching out to seeing this young woman in obvious distress.

"I was…but I'm finally free and that's why I'm here now. I'm sorry, I'm not making any sense. I'm so sorry to have bothered you. I have no right," she cried.

"Shh…why don't you calm down and try to explain again. If you're needing help, then I have a very good friend who oversees many women's shelters that help young women like you," Breha soothed her, as she brought her inside. Bail watched her carefully, more leery than his wife, who always tried to help anyone she encountered.

"Please, just sit and tell us what's going on and then we'll get you to the people that can help you," Breha said, as she handed her a tissue.

"Thank you, you're so kind .I'm so glad for that," she said.

"What do you mean?" Bail asked, confused by her words.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Day'na and what I'm about to tell you will shock you. You may not even believe me, but sixteen years ago, I was forced to leave my baby in order to protect her from her evil father. I did my best to keep track of her over the years until the day it could possibly be safe to see her again," Day'na explained.

"I don't understand. Surely…you can't mean our Natalie," Breha said, as a sudden fear filled her.

"Well, I always planned to call her Daniella, after my mother, but yes. I know this is so out of the stars, but I am her biological mother," Day'na announced.

"You're right, I don't believe you," Bail answered coldly.

"Bail," Breha scolded for his impoliteness.

"Natalie is our daughter, end of story. Now I please ask that you leave," Bail requested sternly.

"I understand and I didn't come because I want to try and take her back. I don't think I could. You raised her and I am a stranger that can never replace what you've done for her. I wanted what's best for her on the day she was born and I still want that, which means that she must remain with you. I…I just wanted to meet her, perhaps, but I understand and I will never bother you again," Day'na said, as she approached the door.

"I know that all the details of her discovery were never released and you must think I am a terrible mother for leaving her in an alleyway, but I chose that place, because I knew that Jedi frequently patrolled that area. The fate that awaited her at the hands of my evil boyfriend was much more bleak, for he would have sold her on the slave market for what money he could," Day'na explained.

"And where is this man now?" Bail asked, afraid that Natalie could be in danger.

"He's dead, finally. His own evil ways caught up with him and I am finally free of him," Day'na said, pausing.

"You see, we are from Mandalore and he was long involved in the Mandalorian faction that has sought to topple Duchess Satine's rule for many years now. I got involved with him when I was very young and very stupid. He was abusive and there was no escape from him or his brothers. I escaped him briefly enough to give birth to her here on Coruscant, but he was hot on my heels. So I left her behind and he caught up with me, dragging me back to Mandalore. I knew too much about his cause that I either stayed with him or ended up dead. He was finally killed by someone he crossed just days ago, but perhaps Natalie is best off to never know any of this. I'm sorry, I should have never come," Day'na said, as she turned away and started out the door. She smirked, knowing they were almost eating out of her hand and her next ploy would seal the deal. Day'na suddenly stumbled and caught herself on the door frame.

"Oh my, are you all right?" Breha cried, as she went to her.

"I…I'm not sure. I feel so dizzy…" Day'na said, as her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and she fell unconscious to the floor.

"Oh my, Bail, get a cold compress," Breha called. Bail picked the young woman up and started toward the lift.

"I'm no healer, love. Let's get her upstairs and we'll have Anakin and Padme call Kimberly home. The rest of the kids should come as well," he said, as they got on the lift. Breha knew what that meant. Natalie would soon know everything they had just learned as well…

* * *

><p>Padme followed Artoo, shaking her head, as she watched the little droid carry a tray with a bottle of scotch and glasses on it.<p>

"Thanks short stuff," Riley said, as he poured the drinks in the glasses for each member at the table. But Padme wasn't surprised to see her husband crinkle his nose and turn it away.

"No thanks, that stuff taste like poodoo," Anakin said. Riley chuckled.

"You just never developed a tolerance for it," Riley joked.

"Anakin never developed a tolerance for much of anything alcoholic," Obi-Wan teased.

"I don't think I've ever seen the General drunk, now that I think about it," Rex joked.

"And you won't," Anakin replied.

"Yeah, because he can't hold his liquor," Obi-Wan teased.

"You're really having a lot of fun over there, aren't you?" Anakin asked, playfully glaring at his older brother.

"Loads, because I'm remembering the last time you were drunk. You were a party animal for about two hours and then spent the night in the fresher," Obi-Wan laughed, which made everyone else join in at his expense.

"Haha, laugh it up," Anakin replied sarcastically, as he felt Padme's hand on his shoulder.

"Well, before you ended up in the fresher, it was a wildly fun few hours," Padme mentioned, as she leaned down and kissed his cheek. He smirked.

"I was plastered, but I remember," he replied, looking up at her with a mischievous grin.

"Can we deal you in, sweetness?" Riley asked.

"Maybe later. I was hoping to borrow my husband for a little bit and then maybe we'll be back. After all, scotch may not be our drink, but wine is," Padme replied. Anakin smiled.

"Deal me out for a while," Anakin said, as he stood up and took Padme's hand. They headed for the veranda, leaving those left at the table shaking their heads in amusement.

"And the eternal honeymoon continues," Ferus mused.

"I hope you don't mind that I imposed on the weekly sabaac game," Padme mused, as the fountain lit up on their veranda.

"Are you kidding?" Anakin asked, as he poured the wine into two glasses.

"You know that I find you far more interesting than sabaac. I rarely win when I play with them and they got enough of our money already," Anakin replied, as he handed her glass to her.

"You would be very good at it if you applied yourself. You always are very good at things that you actually apply yourself to," she said sultrily, as she pressed herself against him. He smiled and leaned down, kissing her lips tenderly.

"Like I said earlier, you're far more interesting than that game and I take great pleasure in applying myself to you," he whispered, as their lips met again passionately. Their lips parted and they clinked their glasses together, before sipping slowly.

"It's too bad you're not into the game, because I was thinking we could have a private game together later," Padme tempted. Anakin looked at her suspiciously.

"You want to play sabaac later, just the two of us?" he asked, raising his eyebrow curiously.

"Why not?" she asked innocently, toying with him.

"Well, sabaac is not exactly a two person game," he replied.

"Oh, well this isn't exactly your conventional game of sabaac. I was thinking we could play strip sabaac in the bedroom," she whispered in his ear with a seductive edge in her voice. He smirked and put his arm around her.

"Deal me in for that," he replied huskily, as they continued to enjoy their wine together and each other's company as they did during most of their evenings. But they were momentarily interrupted by the door indicator chiming.

"I wonder who that is?" Padme asked. Anakin took her hand, as they went to answer it.

* * *

><p>Natalie tangled her fingers in the hair at the back of Jayden's neck, as he kissed her passionately on the dance floor at the Calrissian resort. As their lips parted, Jayden stared down at her in awe.<p>

"You're staring again, Jay," she reminded playfully, loving the way he suddenly blushed shyly. She giggled, as they continued to sway.

"You know me. I can never take my eyes off you," he replied. It was her turn to smile shyly. From anyone else, such a line might sound corny, but knowing him like she did, she knew how sincere that simple loved filled statement was. He really loved her and had as long as she could remember.

"Well, I think we should go find a place to go where there's a lot less people," Natalie suggested. He smiled.

"I think I can find us such a place in the gardens," he replied.

"You read my mind," she said.

"Only because you let me," he replied, as he started leading her toward the exit that would take them into the vast gardens at the resort. Unfortunately, a worried Kimberly and Shane blocked their way.

"What's going on?" Jayden asked, seeing his sister's worry.

"I don't know. Daddy just asked me to come home as fast as possible and he wants us all there," Kimberly said. Jayden and Natalie glanced at each other.

"Something must be going on," he said, knowing his dad just wouldn't order them all home unless it was important.

"We better go then," Natalie said, as they followed Shane and Kimberly. They were met with Leia, Jenna, and Marcus as well as they all left for home.

* * *

><p><em>In the next chapter, Natalie meets the woman claiming to be her biological mother and that she might have Mandalorian blood running through her veins. Bail demands proof and Day'na suggests a blood test, leading them all to believe she is likely Natalie's biological mother. Meanwhile, Alvez's brothers learn about his death at Day'na's hands and vow revenge, as they leave for Coruscant. <em>


	4. Part 4 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the newest Forever Destined Vignette. Six monthshave passed since the events of Wicked Planet. Enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think!

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 4/?

Padme answered the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Bail and Breha on the other side.

"Bail, Breha, it nice to see you. Please come in," Padme greeted.

"Thank you Padme, we just wish the circumstances were better," Bail said sourly, as both she and Anakin now noticed the woman with them.

"What's going on?" Anakin asked.

"We'll explain, but first can you comm Jayden and ask him to bring Natalie here? Tell them it's very important," Bail stated. Anakin and Padme exchanged a glance, before Padme nodded and went to kitchen to comm their youngest son.

* * *

><p>Leia and Mara sat at the bar and sipped at their drinks.<p>

"This shurra twist is good, but it would be better if it had alcohol in it," Mara said. "We're just lucky our parents even let us go out at all after the stunts we pulled a couple years ago," Leia replied.

"I know and I know our parents are just trying to protect us. Good thing Tek always seem to know how to get good liquor," Mara replied.

"I can't believe you're still dating. I know I have no room to talk since I dated Jake the jerk, but I really thought he was going to break your heart," Leia said.

"You and everyone else, but he really does care about me and he's trying to change. My dad still hates him though," Mara replied.

"That's probably not ever going to change either," Leia warned.

"Probably not, but I like him, I'm having fun, and the sex is amazing," Mara declared. Leia had heard the rumors around the Temple for months, but this was the first time Mara had admitted that she was sleeping with him.

"So when are you going to get back on the dating scene?" Mara asked. Leia shrugged.

"I don't know, I've been focusing a lot on my classes and there has been a lot going on in our family lately," Leia replied.

"I know. I can't believe Luke is going to be a dad. I don't know how he's going to do it. I know I'm not ready to be a parent," Mara said.

"Me either. But Luke will be great at it I think. Callista definitely wasn't the right woman for him, but he is going to make a great father. Then someday, the right girl is going to come along and snatch him up. And she'll be one of the luckiest women in the galaxy, because she's going to have a man that's as devoted to her as my father is to my mother," Leia said. Her best friend's words made her think for a moment. She was enjoying her casual relationship with Tek and the party type of lifestyle she had been living lately, but someday, she imagined that she might want to have a family. And now she was wondering if her current boyfriend would ever be interested in the same things. She wanted to think so, but her intuition told her otherwise. Nevertheless, the last thing she was ready for was a serious commitment. Luke was sweet and she had always thought he was very handsome, but he was too boring for her. She needed excitement and she wouldn't get that being stuck at home with a baby.

"You're right, some lucky and worthy girl will snag him. But enough about your twin. We need to concentrate on you and finding you a cute dancing partner, Mara said, scanning the room with her eyes.

"Mara, I'm not ready for anything serious yet," Leia pleaded.

"Who's talking serious? You Skywalkers and your need to commit," Mara joked, as she spotted a ruggedly handsome man that they were both familiar with enter with Lando Calrissian.

"And there he is," Mara said, as she pointed. Leia's eyes widened in surprise. "Han?" she asked.

"Why not? He's gorgeous," Mara replied.

"He's a scoundrel," Leia argued.

"A gorgeous scoundrel," Mara argued back.

"But what is that with him?" Mara asked Leia rolled her eyes.

"That is a Wookie. Don't you pay attention in Galactic History?" Leia teased.

"Of course not. Master Mundi is soooo boring, so no. At least your grandpa Dooku used to make it interesting," Mara replied.

"Good evening ladies," Lando greeted.

"Hello Lando, I didn't know you were back from Serenno," Leia greeted in return. He nodded.

"Unfortunately, both Ryoo and I have to return to our studies. Your great grandmother says she is doing very well though," he replied. He then remembered that Han was standing next to him.

"Oh, you both remember Han, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course. Good to see you again, isn't it Leia?" Mara asked. Leia cast an annoyed look at her best friend.

"Yes, what brings you back to Coruscant?" Leia asked.

"Just came to visit. I've been promising Chewie to bring him to meet my friends," Han said, referring to the Wookie next to him.

"It's nice to meet you Chewie," Leia greeted politely. Chewie rawled in greeting. "Lando, would you like to dance?" Mara asked.

"Sure," Lando replied.

"Leia, you and Han should dance too," Mara suggested. Leia glared at her meddling best friend. Han shrugged.

"Why not? How about it , princess?" Han asked.

"I'm not a princess," Leia replied. Han scoffed.

"You're Leia Skywalker so you might as well be. So are we going to just stand here or are we going to dance?" he asked. She resisted the urge to huff in annoyance. He was infuriating, but she couldn't deny that he was handsome and charming.

"Fine. Let's dance," Leia replied. Han smirked and led her to the dance floor.

* * *

><p>As Marcus returned from the fresher at the club, he caught sight of Jayden and Natalie leaving hurriedly. He saw Jenna anxiously waiting for him.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, but Jayden got a comm from mom and they said they had to hurry home. I don't know what is going on, but I have a feeling that Nat is going to need her best friend," Jenna said. He nodded.

"Let's go," Marcus said, as they hurried off for his speeder.

* * *

><p>"Mom, what's going on? We got here as soon as we could," Jayden asked, as he and Natalie came rushing in. Natalie was surprised to see her parents there as well.<p>

"Come in and sit down so we can explain," Padme said.

"Mom, what's going on?" Natalie asked, as she noticed how pale her mother looked.

"And who are you?" Natalie asked suspiciously, as she looked at the unfamiliar woman on the sofa.

"I'm afraid that's what we called you here to tell you, sweetheart and this woman is part of that explanation," Breha said.

"Or so she claims," Bail added.

"Natalie, my name is Day'na and I know this is going to be difficult for you to hear, but I'm...I'm your mother," Day'na announced. Jayden looked at his parents in surprise, but his shock was compounded when he saw his father nod, indicating that he did not sense any deception.

"That's...that's not true, because I'm sitting right beside my mother," Natalie replied nervously.

"I know you love her like the mother she has been to you and I will be forever grateful to her for raising you when I could not. But I am your biological mother," Day'na said.

"I don't care if you supposedly did give birth to me. I'm not your daughter," Natalie refuted.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be frightened. I'm not going to try and break up this family. I just came so I could finally meet you and maybe even get to know you. I'm sure you have questions, even if you don't think you do. As a child that was adopted, I imagine you are naturally curious about your origins," Day'na said. Natalie's chocolate eyes stared into Day'na's identical chocolate eyes.

"Fine, I actually do have one question," Natalie stated.

"Ask me anything, honey," Day'na said.

"Why did you leave me to die in an alleyway when I was three days old?" Natalie yelled, as she got up, ready to storm out.

"Natalie, please let me explain," Day'na pleaded.

"It doesn't matter and I don't care. You can't just show up and expect me to just accept you. You left me to die, but it really doesn't matter because I have a great life and a great family. I don't need you," Natalie snapped, as she headed for the door.

"Natalie wait!" Jayden called, as he went after her. Day'na lowered her head in shame.

"She's right to hate me. I shouldn't have come," Day'na said sadly.

"Natalie doesn't hate you, but this is a total shock to her. She needs time to adjust and then she'll he ready to hear your explanation," Padme said.

"If you truly are her biological mother," Bail said skeptically.

"I agree with Bail on this. Never can truly trust a mandalorian," Riley chimed in. Day'na bristled under his comment, but hid it well.

"I know my people have a bad reputation, but I'm not like them and I'm only too happy to provide a DNA sample," Day'na stated.

"Fine, but I'd like it to be done at the Jedi Temple, if that's possible," Bail said, looking to Anakin.

"Of course. Kimberly can take a sample and then take it to the Temple. Do you mind, sweetheart?" Anakin asked his middle daughter.

"Of course not. I'll get my bag." She replied.

"I'll take you to the Temple when you're ready," Shane told her. Day'na nodded in agreement.

"Will Natalie be okay?" she asked.

"Jayden is with her so she'll he fine," Padme replied.

* * *

><p>"Nat, wait for me!" he called, as he slid into the elevator with her.<p>

"I don't care what she has to say or if she really is my real mother," Natalie insisted. He smirked.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" he asked. She huffed.

"Don't tell me your on that Day'na's side or whatever her name is," she complained. He put his arms around her waist and kissed her tenderly.

"You should know by now that I'm always on your side," he assured her. She smiled.

"Good answer," she teased.

"I also know that you are very curious by nature and will eventually want to know," he added. She gave him a withering look.

"Maybe, but not tonight," she replied.

"Do you want to go back to the club?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I'd rather go to the Temple for another hand to hand combat lesson with my boyfriend. It's late enough," she replied.

"Okay, though I'll admit when I first started teaching you self defense, I didn't anticipate you loving it so much," he said.

"It's a great stress reliever and you were right to start teaching me after the ordeal on the Death Star," Natalie replied.

"Yeah, I just think it's dumb that we have to wait until late to use the gym. Ever since Grandfather died, those who don't like my father and our family have become increasingly outspoken. They even bristle when Mom comes to the Temple. I don't understand their need to isolate us from the rest of the galaxy. You and my Mom are hardly outsiders," Jayden said.

"I don't understand it either and they don't understand our love. Your Mom told me tonight that when something, like the love we share, seems too good to be true by others, they will seek to tear it down by whatever means they can. But the fact that we know the truth is what really matters," Natalie told him. He smiled and nodded.

"I know. Besides, I'm a Skywalker and we tend to be rule breakers," Jayden said with a smirk. She smiled, as they exited the lift.

Well, that's a given," she said, as they made their way to the speeder garage.

* * *

><p>"I'm sure Natalie will be back soon. She just needs time to process all this," Padme said.<p>

"Padme is right and if I know her, she'll likely want to stay the night with Jenna. With that being the case, Bail and I will offer you a guest room in our apartment," Breha added.

"You're too kind," Day'na said graciously.

"Yes, she is. But it seems a little too convenient to me," Riley spoke up.

"Who are you?" Day'na asked finally, wondering why this man was interjecting himself into this situation.

"He's my father," Padme answered first.

"Riley Zander. I'm a private investigator, but before that, I was a bounty hunter and smuggler. I've been all over this galaxy and I've seen a lot of stuff, so naturally I get called when they find suspicious homicides or certain types of people that end up dead," Riley said. A bounty hunter. That was not a variable she had anticipated. But she remained stoic and kept up her act.

"What exactly does that have to do with me?" she asked.

"Well, when Bail got here, he mentioned you are Mandalorian and the suspicious homicide I was called to the other day just happened to be a well known Mandalorian thug, once in league with the late Boba Fett. Do you know Alvez?" Riley questioned. Day'na resisted the urge to flinch and knew she would have to adjust her plans. But perhaps this would work better. If this Zander character knew about Alvez, then playing the poor abused victim would seem even more plausible.

"Yes...he was Natalie's biological father," she announced sadly. Padme looked at her husband and he gazed back at her, sharing her thoughts. Hearing about her lineage was going to be difficult to swallow for Natalie and now, far more than they originally imagined.

* * *

><p>Jayden smirked at his girlfriend, as they practiced the several blocks he had taught her.<p>

"You're doing great. You really pick this stuff up fast," he mentioned.

"Thanks. I guess I've always been a quick learner," she replied.

"Some say Skywalkers are slow learners," he mentioned. She smirked and kissed him tenderly.

"Depends on the subject matter," she mused playfully. He pulled her close and their lips met again, this time with more passion.

"You are definitely my favorite subject," he said. She playfully shoved him.

"You're lucky you're hot or that line would be way more corny than it already is," Natalie joked.

"Ready to call it a night?" he asked.

"We probably should, but I'm not ready to talk to her yet," Natalie replied.

"That's fine. No one is going to make you and if you decide that you don't want anything to do with her, then no one is going to make you," he promised. She nodded.

"Thanks," she answered, as she kissed his cheek and got ready to leave. But as they walked out, they saw Jenna and Marcus talking to several other padawans, but one of those padawans was Devin Roarke. He was big, strong, and mean. He enjoyed bullying others and had been reprimanded for it several times. But despite his brute strength, he was still no match for Jenna, a fact which made him simply loathe her. He constantly egged her on and absolutely loved to belittle Marcus for dating her.

"Uh oh, look like the big sweaty Nerf is at it again," Natalie said, as they moved in closer. Sure enough it was Devin and two of his buddies, two other male padawans their age, who were dumb enough to hang around with him.

"Look Devin, we didn't come here to see your ugly face so just get out of here," Marcus snapped. The three boys chuckled.

"Ooohh, look out guys, Marc's trying to pretend he has balls," Devin joked crudely. Jenna glared at him.

"And if you don't shut your trap, your balls, no matter how microscopic I'm sure they are, will be in your throat," Jenna spat. This only made Devin laugh again.

"Do you ever fight your own battles, Olin?" Devin sneered.

"I wonder if she's even a girl?" one of Devin's friends sneered. Devin laughed.

"Yeah, she's tried to dress herself up, but she's still the Temple freak," Devin sneered. Jenna glared at him and was about to launch into a tirade, but before she could even blink, Marcus slammed Devin who was easily twice his size against the wall.

"You can't even begin to imagine the amazing woman she is!" Marcus hissed.

"And you never will, because a girl like her would never give a horrible swine like you the time of day!" Marcus continued.

"Get off me Olin, before I make mincemeat out of you," Devin threatened.

"Go ahead," Marcus prompted, as he let him go and backed up. But Devin hesitated.

"That's what I thought," Marcus goaded. Devin growled and balled his fist. But Marcus was ready and blocked his punch, before delivering a punch of his own to Devin square in the face.

"Owwww...what the frack did you do that for?" Devin snapped, surprised that Marcus even had it in him.

"He probably did it because you're a sleamo," Natalie said, as she and Jayden approached.

"Nobody asked you, Princess. Take your boy toy and beat it," Devin snapped, as he held his bruised nose.

"Talk to her like that again and a bruised nose is going to be the least if your worries," Jayden warned. Devin snorted in annoyance, but he knew better than go against Jayden Skywalker in a fight, especially when it involved the princess. Everyone had heard what had happened to Boba Fett when he attacked Natalie and what his fate became when Jayden stopped him.

"What's going on here?" Serra questioned, as she rounded the corner.

"Your kid attacked me, that's what," Devin snapped. Serra put her hand on her son's shoulder.

"We don't condone violence, especially in our own halls so I can assure you that Marcus will he having a very long talk with me and his father," Serra said Devin smirked smugly.

"However, my son is the least violent padawan in this Temple. You, on the other hand, padawan Roarke, have multiple disciplinary marks in your history for bullying and violence against your fellow padawans, so once I know the whole story of what went on here, I seriously doubt you'll escape this unscathed either," Serra continued. Devin huffed in irritation.

"It's time for you to be in your dorms and time for the rest of you to get home. We'll discuss what happened on the way," Serra said, as she effectively ended the fight. But Jayden and Marcus both met Devin's challenging stare. This was not over by a long shot.

* * *

><p>Riley sipped at his drink, as Anakin joined him on the veranda. Padme was seeing Bail and Breha out for the evening, as well as Day'na, who was going to be staying with them.<p>

"So, what do you know about this Alvez?" Anakin asked.

"He was once very good friends with Jango and learned most everything from him. He and his brothers considered Boba their unchallenged leader, so I did my best to keep tabs on him and his brothers after Boba's death," Riley replied.

"You think they might come after Jayden for revenge?" Anakin asked. Riley nodded.

"These guys have a warped sense of loyalty. In their eyes, Jango made their kind legendary and Boba followed in his father's footsteps. It was a huge blow to not only their fragile little egos, but to their credibility and operation when he was killed, by a Jedi padawan, no less," Riley said.

"So you don't think one of his own turned on him?" Anakin asked.

"Not from his clan, but that doesn't mean another Mandalorian from another faction didn't. There are many and while they all want to topple Duchess Satine's peaceful rule, they all fight each other for power. Alvez took over the lead of his clan when Boba died. His clan was already crippled so taking Alvez out would weaken Boba's former clan even more," Riley said.

"You think Day'na is involved in his death?" Anakin asked. Riley shrugged.

"I don't know. On one hand, it's sure seems too coincidental that she just shows up here, especially since I'm sure Alvez's clan is here on Coruscant and possibly ready to target Jayden. On the other hand, these guys are the worst abusers you'll find. If she has been involved with him most of her life, the introverted, abused woman we saw tonight might not be an act. Giving up Natalie to protect her from her own father makes sense. Alvez and his brothers are scum. They would have had no use for a baby. If he didn't kill the baby, he would have sold her," Riley explained. Anakin clenched his fists.

"These men…they're the worst kind of evil. They're why Padme dedicates herself so fully to helping the women and children in their destructive paths. When people find out who Natalie's biological father and mother might be, they're going to start slinging mud her way faster than we can blink," Anakin replied. Riley patted him on the shoulder.

"But she has a great family to help her get through it, not to mention that Jayden is his father's son. He's going to stand in the way of anyone that tries to hurt her, just like you always have for my baby girl. I'm afraid I caused quite a bit of mud slinging for Padme when they found out I was her real father too," Riley replied.

"You're different than Alvez, in many ways. You may have done things that you're not proud of, but if you had known about Padme, you would have changed your life just that much sooner and you would have never even thought about abusing her or Jobal. Don't compare yourself to men like Alvez," Anakin said.

"I'm not, but Padme deserved a lot better. But she found you and I'm happy that you've given her such a happy life," Riley replied. Anakin smiled.

"Well, she is my life and I love her, more than I can describe," Anakin said. Riley nodded.

"I know. Last time we talked, you were telling me a bit about the surprise you've been working on these last few months. Any more progress?" Riley asked. Anakin grinned.

"Quite a bit actually. I should be ready to spring it on her soon, though we'll probably have to wait for a trip to Naboo until all this commotion dies down, especially if Jayden and Natalie are in any potential danger," Anakin replied. Riley chuckled.

"Never a dull moment around here, that's for sure," Riley said.

"Believe me, I would love for a little dull once in a while. But all this combined with the fact that Padme and I are going to be grandparents soon, dull probably isn't in our near future," Anakin replied.

"True, but I'm confident that we can carve out time for a trip to Naboo. Taking the new baby for a peaceful respite to Varykino when he or she is old enough to travel is probably a good idea, especially since the media circus around this isn't going to disappear over night," Riley mentioned.

"I agree. Anyway, purchasing the old Winama estate back from the city wasn't hard, especially when they found out that it was me buying it back for Padme and they really liked the idea of what we're turning it into. And most of the people I've contacted have gladly let me buy back certain things that belonged to Padme's grandparents," Anakin replied. Riley smiled.

"Padme's going to be speechless when you spring this surprise on her," Riley said.

"Well, she deserves everything and this new center we're opening is going to help a lot of victims of abuse and a lot of troubled young people," Anakin replied.

"Well, we should probably go in for the night. We'll know the DNA results in the morning and I'll put out some feelers tomorrow to see if I can get any idea as to where there's any Mandalorian activity on Coruscant," Riley said.

"Yeah, take the easy job. I have to break the news of all this to the Council and listen to how none of this would be happening if I didn't have a family," Anakin replied, as he rolled his eyes.

"Well, speaking of family, looks like the kids are home," Riley said, pointing to Serra's speeder, as it slowed down and let Jenna, Jayden and Natalie out.

"Everything ok?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, they just had a little altercation with Devin Roarke again," Serra replied.

"He deserved the punch Marcus gave him, if you ask me," Jayden said, as he and Natalie got out.

"I'm sure he did, but you know we can't openly endorse that kind of violence in the padawan ranks," Anakin told him.

"I know, I'm just kind of disappointed that Marcus got to punch him before I could," Jayden replied. Anakin tried to hide his smirk, but was failing miserably.

"Bed, all three of you," Anakin ordered to the twins and Natalie, as they went inside.

"A chip off the old block," Serra teased. Anakin nodded.

"He is for sure, but just wait until Ferus hears that Marc belted that bully," Anakin replied to an already grinning Marcus. Serra rolled her eyes.

"Don't remind me. He'll be beaming from ear to ear at tomorrow morning's meeting. We'll see you tomorrow," Serra said, as she few off into traffic, heading back to the Temple. Anakin and Riley went inside as well and called it a night. As busy as this evening had been, the days to come would be even more hectic and trying.

* * *

><p><em>In the next chapter, the DNA results come in, Natalie learns the identity of her biological father, the Council learns of the possible situation with the mandalorians on Coruscant, and someone leaks the truth of Natalie's lineage to the Holonet…<em>


	5. Part 5 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Hello everyone! Here's part 5! Thanks for all the great reviews and even the one not so great review. Sorry you don't like the story, but if you don't care for it, then I suggest you stop reading. Constant flaming is a waste of _your_ time. For those that do like the story, enjoy this next chapter!

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 5/?

Sunlight streamed in through the curtains, catching Padme's eyes. She moaned and turned in her husband's arms and snuggled against his bare chest. She breathed in his familiar scent and tried to let the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lull her back to sleep. But unfortunately, they were both early risers, and they were awake. Her eyes fluttered open and met his, as they shared a smile.

"Morning beautiful," he said.

"Good morning handsome," she replied.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. She nodded.

"I always do when you're holding me, though I thought we'd both be tossing and turning after all the excitement last night. Honestly, there's never a dull moment around here," Padme said. He chuckled.

"Yeah, I don't think we would know what to do with ourselves if it was ever dull around here," he joked. She smiled and sensually traced her finger along the defined planes of his ripped chest and chiseled torso.

"Oh I don't know, I think we could find plenty of fun things to do," she purred.

"I think you're right and I think I know what things you have in mind," he replied.

"You probably do, but just to make sure, I think you should demonstrate exactly what you think I mean," Padme tempted. He smirked and kissed her passionately.

"I can give you a demonstration you'll never forget, angel," he said playfully. She giggled.

"Then by all means, my love," she replied, as their lips met again and hands roamed with passionate intent.

* * *

><p>Natalie opened her eyes that morning and wasn't surprised to see Jenna up and around already.<p>

"Morning sleepy head." Jenna said.

"Morning," Natalie said sleepily. She sat up and ran a hand through her messy brunette locks.

"Tell me last night didn't happen," Natalie pleaded. Jenna sat down beside her.

"Wish I could, but you know that Jay and I are here for you, no matter what, right?" she asked. Natalie nodded.

"I know. I wouldn't be able to get through this without my best friend and my boyfriend. I know the DNA results aren't in yet, but I'm pretty sure she's my mom. Part of me has always wondered, but now I wish she had never shown up," Natalie said.

"I know, but even if the results turn out positive, Breha will still be your mother. Blood isn't always everything. Look at my grandpa Qui-Gon. He was adopted by my great grandparents and we're a more closely knit family than many families that are all biologically related," Jenna reminded. Natalie nodded.

"Enough about that for now. Are you mad at Marcus for what happened last night with Devin?" Natalie asked.

"I thought I would be, but I'm not the one they tease all the time, because they don't think I can fight. They know I can take them all on at once. He finally had enough and lost it on them. I can't blame him. He's way more coolheaded than I am," Jenna said. She was surprised by the way she felt.

"You seem surprised," Natalie suggested.

"Well, I don't need anyone to stand up for me. I'm perfectly able to do that myself. Everyone knows that so no one really ever bothers to defend me. I guess it was kind of a nice change for once and I have to admit, watching Marcus be assertive and macho for once was pretty sexy," she said. Natalie giggled.

"I get what you mean," she replied, referring to her own experiences with Jayden.

"Have you told your self doubting boyfriend this yet?" Natalie asked. Jenna shook her head.

"Not yet. Knowing him, he's already moping and probably thinks I'm furious with him. Guess I better go find him," Jenna said. Natalie nodded.

"You should, because you know Marcus. I'm sure he's already second guessing himself," Natalie said. Jenna nodded.

"Are you coming to find out the test results this morning?" Jenna asked.

"I'd rather not miss classes," Natalie replied, avoiding her best friend's eyes. Jenna nodded. If Natalie wasn't ready, she would support her.

* * *

><p>Alvez's right hand man and new leader of their clan, Blaine, loomed over the broken, bloodied woman that his men were beating.<p>

"We know Day'na killed Alvez and we know that you know where that kriffin' tramp is. Tell us and the pain stops," he hissed.

"I don't...know where she is," Bec'ca rasped, as blood leaked from her nose and mouth. Unsatisfied with her answer, Blaine picked her up and slammed her against the wall, before wrapping her hand around her throat. A sickening crack was heard as her back made contact with the wall, indicating that several ribs had broken. Blaine was extremely strong and he used that strength to cause suffering in his enemies. He enjoyed it. Alvez had been his brother, but he wasn't exactly too broken up about his death. He had been chomping at the bit a long time to take the lead, though that in no way meant that the people responsible for Alvez's death wouldn't be made to pay. It was the same fate that he would bring upon the Jedi brat that had killed Boba Fett. Regardless of the fact that both these deaths had brought about his means to leadership, the Mandalorian ways demanded that the deaths of his brothers be avenged by slaughtering those responsible. And while Alvez truly had done evil things, Blaine in many ways was a thousand times worse. Both Boba and Alvez did what they did to further their cause. Killing was necessary for survival and this was true for Blaine as well. But his predecessors weren't as sadistic as he was, not even close. Torturing some poor soul was entertainment to Blaine. Short, clean kills just weren't as fun.

"Get me my electro whip, boys. Maybe she'll talk after I rip the skin off her back," he threatened.

"No...wait I'll tell you!" she pleaded, as she heard the whip crack.

"Where is she?" Blaine demanded.

"She came to seek out her daughter that she gave up as a baby," Bec'ca revealed. Blaine and his men scoffed.

"You really expect me to believe that? Day'na doesn't care about some brat she supposedly gave up. Her only agenda is plotting against us for control. Guess you really do want the whip," Blaine spat.

"No, it's the truth! Her daughter was adopted by Senator Organa! She's the princess of Alderaan and she has ties to the son of Anakin Skywalker! She plans to get close to her daughter and eventually gain the support of these families. She thinks this can get her close to Duchess Satine so she can eventually get rid of her. Please don't kill me," Bec'ca pleaded.

"Does she really think those people with buy that she's the princess' biological mother?" Pike, one of his men, scoffed.

"Since she's actually telling the truth on this one, she'll probably agree to a DNA test," Blaine responded.

"You believe this wench?" another of his men, Cirrus, spat.

"Only because she and Alvez spawned a brat about eighteen years ago. Alvez was going to get rid of it on Tatooine, but she ran off with the kid and we assumed she sold the brat before we could. We should have known her sentimentality got the better of her," Blaine spat in disgust.

"So what do we do now?" Pike asked. Blaine scoffed. Morons. The lot of them. They'd be completely lost without him. At least with Alvez, the two of them had been formidable together. He could take considerable advantage of this situation. Ransom for this Alderannian princess could set him for life and give him the means to hire the best mercenaries to help him gain a stronghold back on Mandalore. Day'na would now lead him right to her and once the Holonet got wind of the story, scandal would erupt around the Organa family and subsequently the Skywalker family and the Jedi as well. The scandal in the media would be just the distraction needed. Then there was the princess' boyfriend. The son of Anakin Skywalker. The boy that had slain the greatest Mandalorian warrior in recent history. Jango had taught both he and Alvez everything they knew and out of loyalty to the true Mandalore, even though he had always wanted the control he now had, the young Jedi had to pay. But Blaine, unlike some of his dimwitted brothers, was no fool. If the Skywalker brat had managed to easily defeat and slay Boba Fett, then he was a force to be reckoned with. Blaine was not disillusioned into thinking that by any means that be could take on this young, yet wildly powerful youth one on one and win. No, he needed a co-conspirator. One that had no loyalties to anything or anyone, except money. And that person had to be experienced in dealing with powerful Jedi. He knew who he needed, but getting him out of prison was another matter entirely. This would delay his plan slightly, but ensure him a much better chance of success.

"You're going to stay here and lay low for now, while I go recruit someone that can help us manipulate this situation to our benefit. I'll be gone a few days at most, so keep out of trouble while I'm gone," Blaine instructed.

"What about this, boss," one asked, gesturing to the battered woman at his feet. Blaine fastened his utility belt and slipped his helmet on. Normally, he would make the wench suffer a much more painful, entertaining death. But time was of the essence and so he would grant her a swift end. The same would not be so for the rest of his enemies. Drawing his blaster from his belt, he pumped three blaster bolts into her head, eliminating the problem.

"Dump the body after dark," he ordered, as he headed for his ship.

* * *

><p>Callista sat on the med table, impatiently waiting, as Barriss completed her exam.<p>

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked anxiously. Barriss smiled at the young Jedi. It was no secret that Luke was a favorite gossip subject in the Temple, among both the padawans and certain Masters, who felt that this baby would completely derail Luke's path to knighthood. But Barriss could see the look on his face and knew being a father would give him focus and like his own father, she knew Luke would be an amazing one.

"She and the baby are in perfect health. You've been taking very good care of yourself," Barriss mentioned.

"I just can't believe I've gone six months without a drink," Callista joked, earning a waning look from Luke.

"And a healthy baby is your reward for that and now, if you want, we can do an ultrasound and look at the baby If you're ready," Barriss said.

"I'm more than ready," Luke said, anticipation in his voice. Barriss nodded and prepared the machine, before rubbing a solution on Callista's pregnant belly. She turned on the machine and a few seconds later, a holo image appeared on the screen and at that moment, Luke nearly forgot how to breathe. He stared at he wriggling fetus with something akin to awe. Up until that moment, the fact that he was going to be a father hadn't quite sunk in, but now that he was staring at his unborn child, he felt a love like he had never felt swell in his chest. He was speechless and Barriss was clearly enjoying the look of wonder on his face.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Barriss asked. Luke looked up.

"You can tell?" Luke asked. Barriss grinned.

"Oh I think if you look, you can clearly tell that you have a son," Barriss said. Luke looked again and grinned widely.

"Yeah, he's definitely a boy," Luke said in amazement. Callista forced herself to remain stoic, not wanting him to know how glad she was to see him so happy. He was going to make an incredible father, despite his young age. The image disappeared, but Barriss then handed a hologram disc to Luke. He pressed the button and the hologram image of the ultrasound appeared.

"I can keep this?" Luke asked in awe. She nodded, remembering those same words coming from Anakin during Padme's first pregnancy when Bant had given him the ultrasound holodisc of Luke himself and Leia.

"It's yours. I'm sure your parents will be thrilled to see it," Barriss said. He nodded.

"Thanks Barriss," Luke said, as he let the love he felt for his child truly sink in. He couldn't wait to tell his parents.

* * *

><p>Jenna spared furiously with the Dark Woman that afternoon. She had yet to track down her boyfriend, who she was sure was not enjoying his duty in the Archives, which he had received as a result of fighting with Devin in the halls the previous night. She was a frequently committing this same offense so she knew first hand how boring it was to help Master Nu catalog databytes of information into the Temple archives.<p>

For her, sparring the Dark Woman was actually exciting. While Master Kuro's constant disapproval of everything her father said or did was aggravating, she was a challenging opponent. Kuro enjoyed sparring the girl too, for there were few padawans that actually presented her any kind of challenge, other than her twin brother, perhaps.

"You have amazing potential, young one. Perhaps even more potential than your twin brother," Kuro said, as the circled each other.

"I hear a but in there somewhere," Jenna retorted, as she charged again, swinging her sky blue blade with lightning speed. Kuro smirked.

"There is one thing that will always hold you back, if you let it. It's the same thing that holds your father back and the rest of your clan," Kuro replied.

"Perhaps from a certain point of view, I can see where someone, especially someone who was never raised to know love, could say that. And in some ways, you're probably right. Believe me, my dad knows the pitfalls that attachment has. But the benefits far outweigh the bad," Jenna replied.

"If you trained with me now that your first Master is gone, I could teach you to completely let go of all of those useless attachments. There would be nothing to hold you back and we could develop your powers into their full potential," Kuro suggested.

"I'm not giving up my family. I don't expect you to understand what they mean to me. And my great grandfather was an amazing Master to me. I won't throw away everything he taught me just for the possibility of more power. He taught me that if I always seek more power, then it will only slip through my fingers. He taught my father the same thing and even himself. I won't seek any power that will cost me my identity," Jenna explained. Kuro smirked smugly, as their blades clashed furiously.

"Spoken like a true sentimental fool, just like your father. What a waste," Kuro challenged.

"Yet it's that same sentimental fool, as you put it, that has slain Sith Lords and agents of pure evil that threaten the entire galaxy. And contrary to what you believe, he could have never done so without his love for my mother and our family," Jenna argued.

"I will never see what value your father sees in that weak, Force blind woman. She holds him back, just as the Olin boy will hold you back," Kuro spat.

"You're wrong, but it's likely we will never agree. That's okay though, because my mother has taught me that all people have differences and it's what makes the galaxy go around. People can't be made to agree with each other. It would be a very boring galaxy if we were all the same anyway," Jenna replied.

"Well, I see your mother's nonsense is firmly ingrained in you, so I guess you'll be the perfect padawan for your father, assuming that your older brother passes the trials any time soon. Some of the other Masters and I are skeptical though, in light of his recent failures, that he'll be graduating to Knighthood this year," Kuro goaded. Jenna smirked.

"If you challenge Luke to prove himself, then he will, because I know my big brother and he's anything but a failure," Jenna replied, as they extinguished their blades. Kuro smirked.

"Excellent spar, young one. It is without a doubt that you have unique skills. I doubt you'll ever be able to best me in a fight, unless you continue training very hard. And under your father's unorthodox, reckless training, the development of your skills doesn't look very likely," Kuro goaded. Jenna smirked back. In a strange, very warped way, Kuro and Jenna had a mutual respect for each other. Though they disagreed on most everything, they were both very strong women and skilled warriors.

"I accept your challenge," Jenna replied, as Kuro left. Just as Jenna was about to head to the showers, she saw Marcus slink into the gym.

"Hey," he said. She smiled.

"Hey yourself," she replied, as she approached him.

"How was cataloging in the archives?" she teased.

"Mind numbingly boring, but it's better than what Devin had to do today," Marcus replied.

"He didn't get the same punishment?" she asked. He shook his head.

"He was going to, but since he's always in trouble for fighting, my dad made a suggestion that the Council try something else with him," Marcus explained, not being able to keep the grin off his face.

"What did he have to do?" she asked.

"Master Yoda is giving him a cooking lesson on how to make his gruel," Marcus replied, cracking up. Jenna's face lit up with a wide smile.

"You're joking," she prodded. He shook his head.

"No…I heard it was priceless and your cousin snuck in and got the holos to prove it," Marcus laughed.

"No way…Will did that?" she asked, referring to her eight-year-old cousin. Marcus nodded.

"During the Council meeting and he didn't get caught either. He may be exaggerating, but the squirt says he has the holovid of Master Yoda making Devin try the gruel. Apparently Master Yoda was quite offended when Devin spit it out. He's making copies for all the padawans," Marcus said, his eyes dancing with laughter.

"He better make copies," Jenna replied, as their eyes met and an awkward silence settled between them.

"Anyway…I just wanted to come and apologize for last night," he said, as he looked down at his shoes.

"And what exactly are you apologizing for?" Jenna asked.

"For being a Nerf last night. You don't need me to fight for you. You can handle a idiot like Devin with no problem," Marcus replied. She nodded.

"You're right, I can," Jenna replied. He nodded.

"You have every right to be mad at me," he continued.

"Yes, I do. I can flatten Devin like he's nothing and I fight better than most men, so it was kind of a strange revelation to me when I discovered that I wasn't mad at you," she added.

"I know, I'm a…wait, what?" he questioned, as he looked up at her. She smiled.

"I'm not mad at you, Nerf brain," she told him.

"You're not?" he asked, puzzled.

"Nope and here's your proof," Jenna replied, as she not so gently shoved him against the wall and planted her lips on his. As the initial shock began to wear off, he relaxed and slowly lost himself in her kiss.

"I…I think I'm still a little confused," he said, as their lips finally parted. She smiled.

"You're right when you say that I don't need anyone to defend me, because I am perfectly capable. But you didn't go off on Devin last night just because of me. Devin constantly bullies you and you're such a great person that you never strike back at him. But a person can only take so much and he deserved to be put in his place by you. As for standing up for me, do you know how good it felt for someone to defend me for once?" she asked, stunning him.

"Everyone always trusts that I can take care of myself, which is really great most of the time. But I'm still a woman and when the man I love was ready to rip another man's head off for disrespecting me, it actually felt really good," she said, smiling at him. He smiled back shyly.

"I…just lost it on him, because I love you so much," he replied.

"I know…I love you too," she answered. He looked at her.

"You do?" he asked. She nodded.

"Why is that so hard for you to believe?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know…I guess that a lot of the padawans and probably even some of the Masters think that you should be with someone who is as strong as you," Marcus replied. Jenna rolled her eyes. She hoped Devin was choking on Master Yoda's gruel, for he had bullied them both for far too long.

"Oh yeah, some muscle brained jerk face is exactly what I need," Jenna replied sarcastically.

"But in all seriousness, you're way stronger than you think you are…in the right ways. You're strong in character and I know you would never hurt me emotionally. That's really important to me, because I can be myself with you completely. You're not threatened by me being stronger than you and that's really rare in a man," Jenna told him. His cheeks flushed crimson and he hugged her fiercely.

"I'm all sweaty and gross," she protested. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"No, you're perfect and I'll gladly stand up for you any day of the week," Marcus replied.

"Good, but I still need to go shower. I think Jayden is probably on his way back from picking Natalie up from the University," Jenna mentioned.

"If she's going to find out the results, then she's going to need her friends around her," he agreed. She nodded.

"I'll be back soon," she replied, as she kissed him again.

"Don't ever think that I want anyone else. I don't need some bad boy with an attitude problem and more muscles in his head than brains. Besides, he would have to be one badass bad boy to get past my dad, who already likes you by the way. He knows you won't hurt me," she mentioned, putting his mind at even more ease. He watched her go with a smile on his face and his thoughts focused on the always growing love between them.

* * *

><p>Jayden parked the speeder on the landing pad and looked over to his girlfriend.<p>

"Are you ready?" he asked. She shrugged.

"As I'll ever be, I guess," she replied. He sighed. He hated when she was hurting and there wasn't anything he could really do about it.

"Say the word Nat and we'll leave," he told her.

"And go where?" she asked.

"Anywhere you want," he replied.

"It's a tempting offer, but I have to do this. We all have to do things we don't want to do, right?" she asked.

"Guess so, but you know this doesn't change who you are, right?" he asked. She nodded.

"I know. You know it too and so do the people we love, but what about everyone else? You know that if it comes out that my supposed biological father was a Mandalorian warrior that once followed Boba Fett, that it will create a huge scandal," Natalie replied. He shrugged.

"Like scandal is a strange thing to the Skywalker family. My father's mother was a slave rescued by a Jedi. My mother was the product of an affair that my grandmother had with a known smuggler and bounty hunter. Look at who my parents became. It won't change who you are," Jayden said. She nodded and smiled at him.

"I guess you're right. I didn't think about it like that," she replied, as they got out of the speeder. He took her hand and led her into the Temple.

* * *

><p>As Natalie approached, Day'na smiled at her.<p>

"Hello sweetheart," she greeted, opening her arms. But Natalie wasn't receptive and refused to let go of Jayden's hand.

"Let's just get this over with," Natalie replied, as she led Jayden with her and went to stand by her parents. Anakin and Padme gathered around them, while Luke, Jenna, and Marcus arrived. Kimberly came out of the lab with Bant behind her and faced the people waiting for the answer.

"We ran the test twice and our results have been confirmed with a ninety-nine percent certainty," Kimberly said with regret in her voice.

"And?" Breha asked.

"The DNA results are positive. Natalie is Day'na's biological daughter," Kimberly announced. Day'na's face showed joy, but Natalie only held a look of disappointment.

"Natalie…I know this is a shock, but all I'm asking for is a chance to get to know you. Perhaps we could go somewhere, have dinner, and get to know each other a little better," Day'na suggested. Natalie knew that the mature thing for her to do was at least try and she felt Jayden squeeze her hand.

"Fine, we can go to Dex's, but Jayden is coming with us," Natalie insisted.

"Sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Don't you think it should just be the two of us?" Day'na asked. Bail beat everyone else to the response.

"You may be her biological mother, but I am still her father and I still don't trust you. She's my daughter and I have to know she's safe. I won't have to worry if Jayden is with her. He goes or she doesn't," Bail said sternly. Day'na nodded in agreement. Natalie gave Breha a tight hug.

"You're my mom, I don't care what that test says," Natalie whispered to her. Breha smiled and stroked her daughter's beautiful face.

"I know, we love you so much, Natty," Breha whispered back, as Bail hugged her tightly too.

"I love you daddy and this doesn't change anything," Natalie said. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Of course it doesn't. You're an Organa and blood has nothing to do with anything," Bail told her. Shane nodded, as he stood next to Bail.

"He's right and if you need to talk, I know a little something about having questionable roots," Shane told her. She nodded and hugged him.

"Thanks. I might take you up on that later," she replied, as she joined hands with Jayden again.

"Be careful," Padme told them, as she hugged them both and then watched them go toward the landing pad with Day'na. Anakin put his arm around her waist and Luke came beside her.

"They'll be fine," Luke tried to assure his parents.

"I know. How did Callista's check up go?" Padme asked. Luke smiled.

"Really well and you can see for yourself," Luke replied, as he produced the hologram disc and show his parents the images of the sonogram. Padme gasped, as she gazed at the images of her unborn grandchild.

"I have a son," Luke announced, with a big grin, as his family gathered around to see and congratulate him.


	6. Part 6 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 6! Thanks for all the great reviews and comments as always. Constructive comments are always welcome. Comments laced with negativity and an attitude are not welcome. I quote a favorite fanfic author of mine, Pink-Green-White-4ever, who has this to say in the author's notes of her stories:

"_It's my belief that Fan fiction is just that, Fan written fiction stories. It's up to the author's imagination to create the story, and others should accept that or not read." _

I definitely agree with her words, especially when it comes to the Forever Destined series. I just happened to be looking over my profile on and noticed that as of September this year, I've been writing this series since September 2006! I hadn't even realized that it had already been five years since I started this story. Doesn't seem possible, but here we are on vignette #24. So moving on, enjoy this latest installment!

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 6/?

Blaine's eyes scanned the dingy cantina in the slums of Coronet, the capital city on Corellia. This was only his first stop, which would be vastly less complicated than the what he had to do at the second place he would venture. His eyes stopped on the on the corner seat of the bar where a lone, blue skinned, red eyed individual sat, nursing a glass of Corellian scotch. He was of the Duro species, but easily distinguishable from his famed former partner. He was taller for one thing and Blaine estimated that he was nearly six feet tall, going by his own height of six feet four inches. He was very well built too, but the Mandalorian knew that much of his burly build, which was not usually a look common among his species, had probably been acquired during his recent stint in prison. Twenty five years in prison had not been kind to this man, especially since over twenty of those had been spent on Kessel. Like his former partner, he wore a tall, straight billed hat, along with a black overcoat, which likely concealed an arsenal of weaponry. But his left eye was completely gone. Instead of covering it with an eye patch, like most people with that affliction, he left the gruesome sight to be seen. The eye itself was gone, leaving just a fleshy hole surrounded by scarred and leathery blue skin, evidence that burning had been involved in the injury.

"Take a holo. It'll last longer," the Duro male grunted, as he finished his drink.

"Jaxxis Ord?" Blaine asked. The mercenary turned to look at the person that identified him and immediately noticed the Mandalorian armor.

"Depends on who's askin'?" he retorted.

"The name is Blaine and I've got an interesting proposition for you," Blaine replied simply.

"Get yourself a drink and we'll see if your definition of interesting is the same as mine," Ord responded. The Mandalorian smirked and motioned to the bartender.

"I'll take a scotch like my friend here," he ordered.

"You came here looking specifically for me, which means, that even after twenty-five years locked away in that hell hole, my reputation still precedes me," Ord said. Blaine smirked.

"That it does, though it's your former partner that has kept your legend alive," Blaine replied.

"Ah, you're here about Bane," Jaxxis mused.

"Normally, my boys and I can handle things, but this job requires special expertise," Blaine replied.

"You mean Jedi," Jaxxis corrected with a smirk.

"Not just any Jedi. The Skywalkers. Bane knows where to buy the weapons that are supposed to be able to nullify their powers," Blaine said.

"He probably does. But you have one big problem. My old friend is in prison himself and not just any prison. He's incarcerated in the Jedi prison on Yavin IV," Jaxxis responded.

"I know and that's why you're going to help me," Blaine stated. Jaxxis finished another drink.

"And why the farkle would I do that?" Jaxxis cursed.

"Money," Blaine replied simply.

"How much are we talking? I worked hard at finally convincing that brainless parole board that I was a changed man so I could get early release. Tell me why I should jeopardize my freedom by helping some two bit bounty hunter like you and his posse of mindless brutes?" Jaxxis spat. Blaine clenched his teeth in anger, wanting nothing more than to slice this pile of Bantha poodoo to bits, but unfortunately he needed him so he held his temper.

"We're talking millions, as in ransom for the Alderaanian princess and even a couple of Skywalker brats if we're lucky. They'll pay through the nose to get their precious babies back. But none of that matters without your former partner. Pulling this off won't be easy, but the payoff is worth it," Blaine tempted, as he watched Jaxxis stroke his chin, as the mulled it over in his mind.

"Hmm…it is an interesting proposition and my old friend would love to have his revenge on them, not to mention make a killing off some princess. All right, sounds interesting. I'm in," Jaxxis said. Blaine nodded.

"Perfect, meet me at the port near here on landing pad B just after dusk," Blaine said. Jaxxis nodded and then suddenly pulled a vibro blade on him. He was on his feet faster than Blaine could anticipate and held it to his jugular. The Mandalorian cursed himself for his carelessness.

"This is a one time partnership and if I even get the inkling that you're going to betray me, then your guts will spill out onto your feet before you can scream," Ord threatened, before he slipped out the back. Blaine glared in the direction he had gone.

"Crossing me will be the last thing you do, Duro scum," Blaine growled, as he left through the other exit.

* * *

><p>Padme cuddled against her husband's chest, as they enjoyed their evening together on their veranda by the fountain. They had set their wine glasses aside in favor of looking up at what few stars could be seen in Coruscant's night sky. But she was much more anxious than usual, as their evenings together were usually much more relaxing. He could sense her uneasiness and it mirrored his own, for he had yet to get a decent read on Day'na's feelings through the Force. She had strong mind shields, not that he was surprised. She had been involved with the Mandalorians and they had never been friends of the Jedi.<p>

"How do you think it's going?" she finally asked, as she looked up at him.

"I'm sure it's a little awkward, probably like it was for you when you met your real father," he replied. She sighed, remembering the torrent of emotions she had experienced during that time in her life. The situation had been a little different, as her anger toward her mother for her lies had been overwhelming at times. But the outcome of the whole situation had become better than anyone could have imagined.

"Do you think Day'na is as sincere about wanting to change as my father was?" Padme asked. Anakin didn't hide the wince on his face.

"I wish I could say, but she's got a wall around her mind as thick as duraplaster. Natalie is part of this family and she's Jayden's future. He'll be keeping a very close eye on her every move," Anakin assured her.

"I guess time will tell. I guess I'm just worried that Day'na's true intentions are like the ones that Mara's real father had for her," Padme mentioned in a worried tone.

"Me too, but on the other hand, she really could want a real relationship with Natalie. She was in a tough spot when Natalie was born and it's no secret that the alley she left her in see heavy patrol traffic. A Jedi or Clone would have found her soon enough. The Force just saw to it that it be me," Anakin said, as he thought about that day. It was his first day back on active duty after their return from Tatooine, which subsequently had led to Jayden and Jenna's birth. He smiled at the memory.

"What?" Padme asked.

"I was actually asked to cover that patrol for another Jedi that day by Master Yoda. Probably not a coincidence," he replied. She smiled and her eyes sparkled with love, as she gazed up at him.

"Not when it comes to this family or our love," she answered, as he kissed her forehead.

"No matter what the outcome, we're all going to protect Natalie, especially our Jayden. She's one of us and if Day'na is sincere, then we'll welcome her," he stated. Padme nodded, as she hugged him tightly, curling up against him and resting her head just below his chin.

"Maybe we're being pessimistic," Padme said with a sigh.

"Maybe, but if history is anything to go by, then it's no wonder," he replied.

"That being said, maybe Day'na has already started to change just by knowing Natalie. She herself may not even be aware of it yet. Look at your dad, after all. He literally changed right before our eyes and it was all because he met you," Anakin praised, making her blush.

"I don't know about that," Padme replied. Anakin smiled at her.

"I do and I'm sure he would agree," he added, as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"No matter the outcome, Jayden and Natalie will be fine. Their love will bring them through any situation, just like ours has for us. And we'll always be there for them," Anakin promised, as they were content to hold each other close, letting their hearts speak through their unbreakable bond.

* * *

><p>Their eating slowed and Day'na attempted to spark conversation, despite the awkwardness. To get her daughter to feel more comfortable, Day'na attempted to learn what she could about the young man in her life. She observed how attentive he was with her daughter and marveled at that. They were so young, yet there was a powerful connection between them. Anyone could see that and she knew that it could be exploited to her advantage. At those thoughts, she felt a stab of guilt that she wasn't prepared for. What was she doing? She had done a lot of terrible things, all in the name of the Mandalorian rule, and never once had stopped to consider how many people her actions had destroyed over the years. But this was her daughter. And a Jedi. A Jedi that could jeopardize everything her people had worked for. She couldn't afford to start being sentimental now. She had a mission to complete and her daughter was the means to that mission. The key was to get her young beau to trust her and then Natalie would ultimately begin to trust her as well. It would all fall into place then.<p>

"Training to become a Jedi sounds very challenging," Day'na said. Jayden nodded.

"It is, but it's what I was born to do. There are a lot of people out there that need someone strong enough to defend them and that's what Jedi do. A lot of people fear the Jedi, because they don't understand our powers. There are also some Jedi in the Order that feel we shouldn't involve ourselves with the common people. They feel that those jobs should be left to the normal planetary police forces. But I was raised to believe that no life is insignificant and we are not above doing any task, especially when it helps someone who most see as insignificant or those that people would rather forget about. They need a voice too and it's up to someone to give them a voice, someone strong enough to make a difference. It's why my dad still chooses to go on patrols when he doesn't have other missions assigned to him. As a member of the Council, he's not required to perform patrol duty anymore, but he refuses to abandon the people out there that truly need our help, not to mention that he prefers to train his padawans out in the field, rather than in the Temple," Jayden explained. Natalie smiled warmly at him, for she loved hearing him speak about things he was passionate about.

"You and your family are every bit as noble as it's said. Such qualities are rare, especially in someone so young," Day'na complimented. Jayden looked uncomfortable by the praise and Natalie smiled at him.

"I'll go pay the check," he said, as he kissed her cheek and got up to go to the counter to speak to Dex for a few minutes.

"He's really something," Day'na told her daughter. Natalie smiled with a nod.

"He's very special. I'm very lucky," she replied.

"It's very rare to see a man, especially a young man, with such love and devotion to one woman," Day'na said wistfully.

"I wonder how different things would have been for me if your father had been just a little more like your beloved," Day'na said sadly and Natalie could tell her grief was genuine. Timidly, she put her hand on her birth mother's.

"It's okay. I'm sorry you were abused…and I understand why you did what you did. It's going to take me more time to get used to it and accept all this, but…I don't hate you," Natalie told her. Day'na smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, that means a lot. But let's not talk about any of that right now. I'd much rather know more about you. I heard the Queen mention that you were attending the University," Day'na prompted.

"Yes, I'm studying political science, law, and Galactic history," Natalie replied.

"That's very ambitious," Day'na said. She nodded.

"It is, but my education will be very important in the future. My parents want me to rule Alderaan as Queen someday, but before that, I will serve in the Senate when my father decides to retire," Natalie replied. Day'na shook her head.

"What is it?" Natalie asked.

"I'm just humbled again. The Organas have truly given you all the things I could never give you and so much more. And they've raised you into an amazing young woman," Day'na said. Natalie blushed.

"Thanks," she replied shyly, as Jayden returned.

"Well, we should probably get back home. You two have classes in the morning, I suspect," Day'na said, breaking another awkward silence. They nodded and Jayden led them out to the speeder.

* * *

><p>Riley hopped out of his speeder, as he parked it down by The Docks. He had been called here by Rex, because he had another body that he thought Riley should know about. He was seeing a pattern now and was more convinced than ever that the increased Mandalorian activity on the capital world could spell trouble for them in the future.<p>

"Another one?" he asked, as he approached Rex. The Clone commander nodded.

"Yep, but this one is female. She was beaten up pretty badly and then shot at fairly close range. Most of her face and skull was blown off," Rex warned, as they knelt down beside the covering. Rex pulled back the tarp and the experienced former mercenary winced. He had seen and caused a lot of carnage in his days, but since becoming a father and grandfather, it was much harder to stomach. Her body was bruised and broken and she had been shot too close to be a routine execution style. No, this had been personal.

"Revenge," Riley stated.

"What?" Rex asked, confused.

"It's a revenge killing for sure. I'm a gambling man and if I had to bet on it, I would say that we're witnessing a war between two Mandalorian sects, each trying to destroy the other for control. With Alvez's death, his brothers would have sought to take out a member from the other sect. This kind of thing goes on between Mandalorians all the time," Riley replied.

"Do you think this Day'na woman has anything to do with it?" Rex asked. Riley smirked.

"Oh, I'd bet on it. The problem is that I can't prove it and confronting her head on won't do any good without any kind of proof. In fact, it might make it worse and provoke her, that is if she really is involved in some kind of war," Riley said, as he walked back to his speeder.

"But if there is some kind of war going on between them, why is it happening on Coruscant?" Rex asked. Riley looked back at him with a look, reminding Rex of an earlier conversation just days ago.

"You really think this is about Boba Fett?" Rex asked.

"I can guarantee it is. Alvez's clan was on the top of the food chain with a Fett leading them and they were swiftly knocked off that pedestal by my grandson," Riley replied.

"But to go after a Skywalker and on Coruscant no less? They're either really confident in whatever they're planning or out of their minds," Rex concluded. Riley nodded.

"And I'm positive that something big is going on. I wish it was the latter, but the Mandalorian honor won't let them let a thing like this go. A Jedi…a Jedi padawan killing one of their leaders is not something they will let go unpunished," Riley said.

"Have you talked to Anakin yet?" Rex asked. He shook his head.

"No, but now that I'm more sure about what's going on, I need to go find him as soon as possible," Riley replied, as he hopped back into his speeder.

"We'll send the body to Bant, though I'm not sure what more she can tell us," Rex said. Riley nodded.

"Do you really think Day'na is working with whoever killed his woman?" Rex asked. Riley shrugged.

"Who knows, but she's up to something, I'm sure of it. If we're not careful, Jayden and Natalie might get caught in the crossfire of whatever war is being waged," Riley said, as he fired up the engines and headed back toward the Senate district.

* * *

><p>Jayden parked the speeder in the garage at Republica 500 and they rode the lift up to the floor the Organa apartment was on and Day'na went inside, leaving the young couple alone to say goodnight.<p>

"Are you okay?" Jayden asked when they were finally alone. Natalie nodded.

"I guess that went better than I thought. It's still really awkward though," she mentioned. He pulled her into a hug.

"Well, I'm not going to lie and tell you I have any idea what this must be like for you, but I can be here for you, no matter what," he told her. She smiled up at him and nodded.

"And that's exactly what I need," she replied, as she raised up on her tip toes and kissed him tenderly. Their passionate embrace was followed by a giggle from her though.

"What?" he asked.

"You need to stop growing!" she laughed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Just a few months ago, I could at least kiss you without having to get on my tip toes," she replied. He smirked and proceeded to lift her up, resting her feet on the tops of his and pressing her body close to his, leaving no daylight between them.

"Is this better?" he asked coyly, as he tilted his head. She blushed and smiled shyly. Her hormones were as crazy as his lately and just the feel of his hard body against hers overwhelmed her senses with new feelings and sensations.

"Much better," she whispered, as his lips drew her kiss again. Slowly, he deepened the kiss and she responded eagerly, until their lips met again and again with feverish intent. Somehow, though it was a great feat, he willed himself to pull back.

"I should let you get inside," he said, reluctant to let her leave his arms. Natalie nodded, though she was quite comfortable where she was.

"I guess so. I'll see you tomorrow," she replied. He nodded, as they shared another kiss, before she went inside for the night. Jayden walked to the turbo lift that would take him just a few floors up to the very top floor, which belonged to the Skywalker family. Their need to be together all the time, both physically and emotionally had grown in the last few months. But they both knew that when the time was perfect, they would know it.

* * *

><p>Blaine's small cruiser appeared before the quiet space of Yavin IV and the Mandalorian warrior slowly crept toward the green planet.<p>

"Are you going to tell me how the hell we're going to get on the planet without being detected, much less break Bane out of a Jedi guarded prison?" Jaxxis questioned, more than a little irritated. He wasn't one to trust his fate to someone else.

"Relax, one flip of this switch and we'll be invisible to the eye and their sensors," Blaine replied confidently, as he flipped the switch and initiated the cloaking device.

"Where is blazes did you get a cloaking device?" Jaxxis demanded. Cloaking devices, which definitely had drawbacks and flaws, were still highly sought after. They also cost well over a million credits.

"I bought it…what do you think?" Blaine asked sarcastically.

"A couple months back, the boys and I stole it from a manufacturer in the outer rim. They don't have the equipment needed here to detect our gravitation, so the sensors won't pick us now or track us when we blast out of here," Blaine stated. Jaxxis nodded.

"Nice, but that better be the last surprise you throw at me or it'll be your head," Jaxxis threatened.

"Keep your cool. We pull this off and you can take out all your frustration on those Jedi whelps and maybe even Skywalker himself, if your friend still knows where to get the right equipment to bring him down," Blaine snapped back.

"He knows. Let's just get this done," Jaxxis snapped back, as the Mandalorian started the decent to the planet.

* * *

><p>Lauren Solo walked into the large visitation room in the women's prison. It wasn't often that she had visitors and that meant that Han was on Coruscant. Other prisoners occupied tables with their guests and she looked out over the people, finally spotting her grown son sitting at one near the corner of the room. She smiled and quickly made her way to him. He stood and smiled, as he hugged her tightly.<p>

"It's so good to see you. You keep getting more handsome every time I see you," Lauren gushed, causing him to roll his eyes at her antics. They sat down and she clutched the hands of her pride and joy with her own.

"What brings you to Coruscant?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Just passing through. I visited Lando and decided to come here while I was here," he replied vaguely.

"What have you been doing lately?" she asked. He shrugged again.

"I've been keeping busy," he replied.

"Han…I may be in prison, but I've been hearing things," Lauren stated.

"Whatever you heard probably isn't true," Han refuted.

"Then you're not working for as a smuggler for an operator in Cloud City?" she questioned.

"_Sith spit,"_ he swore.

"It was just a couple of jobs. Harmless stuff in the outer rim," he lied.

"Sweetheart, please don't follow the destructive path I went down. I don't want you to end up in prison like me," Lauren pleaded. Han clenched his teeth.

"You shouldn't even be in here in the first place!" he hissed.

"No, you're right. For my crimes, I should probably be in a place much worse than this. But because of good fortune, I may be coming up for parole in just a couple years, which is many years before I've even met the minimum on my sentence. I got a very good deal and I'm going to get a second chance. I won't throw it away this time and I'm pleading with you not to throw away your life the way I did most of mine," Lauren said.

"I didn't come here to talk about this," Han retorted. She sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just want what's best for you. Promise me that you'll think about finding legitimate work. You know Calin will help you," Lauren pleaded. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll think about it," Han relented and she smiled. She knew her son was just telling her what she wanted to hear and she prayed that he wouldn't make the same mistakes that she had made.

* * *

><p><em>In the next chapter, Riley alerts Anakin to the Mandalorian bodies they have discovered lately and his fear that there's a connection to Day'na. Blaine and Jaxxis infiltrate the prison to break Bane out in the dead of night. Day'na and Natalie get to know each other better. But Day'na worries about the success of her plan when she hears word that Blaine has murdered one of her sisters… <em>


	7. Part 7 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 7! Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 7/?

The Jedi guards performed their routine patrol outside the gates of the Jedi prison on Yavin IV. It was quiet as a tomb, but this was nothing new on the sleepy, largely forested backwater moon where they had built the new prison and new Agri-Corps. Unfortunately, this night would be far from routine and for the first time at this place, the blood of innocents would be spilt. The lead guard, who had survived the massacre on Bandomeer years ago, had a decent midichlorian count of around eight thousand. It had not been enough to get him chosen to train as a padawan when he was a child, but his assignment to Agri-Corps was not seen as a disgrace to him. The farming facility was a very misunderstood place. No one was forced to go there. Those there were not rejects, even though they were the butt of many jokes, especially on the Holonet. They were a community, like any other really. They were not so different from their brothers in the Temple on the capital world. In fact, they were highly respected by most on Coruscant and held in high account by most on the Jedi Council. He was an accomplished duelist and most were. They studied the ways of the Force and had good lives. Those that didn't want to be there simply left to pursue other interests. Those that did want to be there had professions they took pride in. He himself was a lawman, devoting himself to upholding the laws of the Republic and the Jedi by seeing that criminals stay locked away for their atrocities. The others in his community held professions like those in any other community. They had farmers, healers, teachers, business owners, and many others. It was likely the galaxy would never see them as they truly were. But they knew and that was enough. Unfortunately, on this night, they would not see the coming assault until it was too late.

As the guard suddenly saw a menacing looking Duro male, he opened his mouth to call out, as he raised his light saber. But before any sound could come from his mouth or he could ignite his blade, his throat was slit viciously. Blaine smirked with something akin to glee, as the man's blood stained his vibro knife and hands.

"Shooting him is a lot less messy," Jaxxis hissed. Blaine's smirk only widened.

"But a lot less fun," he hissed back, as they slipped inside. But before continuing on, Jaxxis planted two thermal detonators by the entrance. Despite his reckless need for bloodshed, he proved to his shaky partner that he had planned carefully. He led them straight to Bane's cell block. The two were quiet, years in this business had provided them with exceptional skill in stealth. The prisoners in the dark cell blocks slept soundly, except for one. His red eyes glowed in the darkness, as he sat in his solitude like this, night after night. He plotted his revenge on those that put him there. As he saw another pair of red eyes staring back at him, he knew his time had finally come. He rose silently, as his old partner fried the lock and the plasma bars disappeared. And as the thermal detonators went off, distracting the prison guards and Agri-Corps defenders, the three slipped unnoticed back to the ship…

* * *

><p>Padme idly read through the Holonet's morning headlines on her datapad, as she sipped at her morning caf. This was her normal routine before she left for her office and she often enjoyed the peaceful lapping of her fountain on the veranda while she read. She set her cup down and smiled, as she felt her husband's lips skim tenderly down her neck, before he sat beside her. He had completed his meditation and cleaned up for the day, now joining her for a quiet breakfast.<p>

"Morning handsome," she greeted.

"Morning angel," he replied, as he set his cup down after taking a sip. She pushed her datapad away, much more eager for his company than that of various reporters.

"You know, you always get wound up when you read the Holonet garbage," he mentioned, noticing the slight frustration in her mood. She sighed.

"I know. I try to stick to the credible articles, but sometimes I get drawn to the garbage articles, as you put it and then it kind of becomes like watching a speeder wreck," Padme responded. He smirked.

"You want to look away, but you can't," he concluded.

"I know we're not supposed to care what they think…but when it comes to our kids, it's just so much harder to not want to throttle them!" she exclaimed. He nodded.

"I know. You remember how I reacted six months ago when I accidentally read that article about how we all supposedly pushed Kimberly into studying as a healer to avoid her being sent to Agri-Corps?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I can't forget that. I wasn't sure even I was going to be able to stop you from storming into that reporter's office. And Bail had to have his security officers practically restrain Shane from doing the same," Padme recalled fondly.

"It's hard for me when they slander you, but it's really hard with the kids. They're just dragging Luke through the mud still. According to them, Luke was out clubbing last night, rebelling against us for forcing him to have this baby," Padme complained. He chuckled.

"Well, he did have a pretty wild time painting the nursery last night," Anakin joked. She smiled and sighed.

"I guess there's no stopping them. Free speech applies to them too," Padme said.

"Yep, and since apparently, according to you, my beautiful wife, I can't Force choke them, cause Force choking is bad," he replied, reciting the last part with an eye roll.

"Yes, Force choking is bad, even though in this case I almost considered letting you at least go scare them a little," Padme replied, watching him perk up in anticipation.

"I said I considered it, but decided against it," she repeated, giggling as he deflated a little. She got up and was about to head to the kitchen to help Threepio get breakfast on the table for the kids, knowing that their two bottomless pit boys were only moments from invading the kitchen in search of sustenance. Anakin latched onto her arm and pulled her into his lap. She relaxed in his embrace, as their lips met with tender passion. Her husband's amazing kisses never failed to make her body tingle all over and her heart sour with love. She knew how most didn't understand what they had between them, but she had long ago stopped caring what they thought. Their love was no farce. Their lips parted and smiled at her.

"You can't listen to what others say," he reminded.

"I know. It's just that they have a lot of nerve when they suggest that somehow what we have isn't real, because we seem perfect," Padme replied. He surprised her by capturing her lips in another searing kiss, before parting their lips again.

"That's funny, because we certainly feel real to me," he stated with his trademark smirk that she loved. She couldn't help the bright smile that encompassed her face and that was his goal.

"We're not perfect, just perfect for each other," he told her. She nodded.

"I guess we just seem perfect to others, because we've been through so much. Some of the normal relationship stuff doesn't plague us like it might with other couples," Padme reasoned.

"We've risen above that stuff, because of everything we've gone through. I'm not saying we're better, but maybe just a little more enlightened when it comes to love," he reasoned with her. She nodded again in agreement.

"Sometimes we are in our own little world," she admitted. He smiled.

"And that's bad?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No. And I shouldn't expect others to understand what we have. If they did, then it wouldn't be so special," she replied. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Reality is subjective, angel. What's real to some may not be so real to other," he pointed out. She looked at him in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"When did you become so profoundly wise?" she asked. He scoffed.

"I'm a very wise Jedi Master, I'll have you know. Perhaps the wisest," he replied. She raised an eyebrow, questioning his seriousness.

"Okay, so definitely not the wisest, but surely the most fun," he said, wriggling his eyebrows. This was followed by a growling noise, which made her giggle more.

"I also need fed I think," he said, as they got up.

"Yep, we can't have you starving, can we Master Jedi?" she asked rhetorically, as they went to the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Natalie's two friends, Cera and Lily, looked at their friend, as they sat at a table in the campus courtyard, eating lunch. Natalie's was nearly untouched and though their studious friend usually tried to study during lunch, she paid her datapad no mind. Instead, she simply stared off into space with a faraway look. Lily looked to Cera and saw their more mischievous friend getting ready to flick a piece of food at the princess to get her attention.<p>

"Don't do that," Lily scolded. Cera rolled her eyes.

"It's a way to get her attention," Cera said.

"There are other ways," Lily insisted.

"Natalie," she called. Nothing. The princess continued to stare off into nothing.

"Coruscant to Natalie!" Cera yelled, snapping her out of her daze and getting the attention of others around them as well.

"What?" she asked.

"What's going on with you? We've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes," Lily said. Natalie looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind," she apologized.

"Oh, a certain tall, blonde haired Jedi padawan, perhaps?" Cera prodded. Natalie flushed slightly. She had been thinking about Jay at first, but then her thoughts had drifted to her biological mother.

"Some, but I'm also thinking about everything that's happened recently," Natalie answered.

"You mean meeting your biological mom?" Cera blurted out, a little too loudly.

"Shhh…" Natalie scolded.

"Yeah Cera, you have such a big mouth," Lily added.

"Sorry Nat, I forgot. But why are you keeping it a secret anyway?" Cera asked. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"The stupid Holonet already tries to follow Jay and I around, because of our relationship. What do you think they're going to do if they find out who or rather what race my mom belongs to? They'll start in on my parents then," Natalie explained. Lily sighed.

"You look really stressed out, Nat," she said, worried about her friend. Natalie smiled back kindly.

"Thanks Lil, but I'll be okay. I'm just not sure what to do about Day'na. It's just so awkward being around her and I don't know if I'll ever feel toward her the way I feel toward my adoptive mom," Natalie said.

"Then you have to tell her that," Cera replied bluntly.

"But I don't want to hurt her, especially if she is sincere about wanting to be in my life," Natalie stated.

"You don't have to cut her out completely either. I think that you should be honest. Tell her that you would like her to be involved, but perhaps more in the role of an aunt. If she really loves you, she'll respect that," Lily told her.

"Lil is right. Besides, why give up being a Princess to be…" Cera started to say, but Lily and Natalie gave her warning looks.

"To be…well, you know," she finished vaguely. Natalie sighed and nodded.

"Jayden told me pretty much the same thing," Natalie agreed, noticing her friends were suddenly smiling like silly schoolgirls and she felt strong arms wrap around her.

"She has some pretty good advice," Jayden said in his deep tenor voice. She turned and smiled at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, as he sat down beside her.

"Grandpa Qui-Gon is in a Council meeting, so I decided to come have lunch with you," he replied. She looked at him suspiciously.

"Don't you have classes?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Maybe," he replied, earning him a smack.

"Jay, you shouldn't skip! Won't you have to run like a million laps for skipping?" she asked. He chuckled.

"Probably and grandpa will probably double my sparring schedule for a while," he mused, as he looked into her eyes.

"But you're worth it," he added. Natalie melted inside, but tried to keep her stern exterior, while her friends swooned.

"Come on, let's go for a walk before you have to go back to class," he suggested. She nodded.

"You two don't mind?" she asked.

"Get out of here," Lily said excitedly.

"And get some for me while you're at it," Cera added, enjoying his sudden shyness.

"You're terrible," Natalie laughed, as she joined hands with her boyfriend and they walked toward the campus path.

* * *

><p>Emergency Council meetings were never good and by the look on his father's face, Anakin could tell that something bad had happened.<p>

"Dad, what's happened?" Anakin asked, as they came to order. Qui-Gon sighed.

"A prisoner escaped from Yavin IV last night," Qui-Gon announced, causing commotion to travel through the Council ranks. Anakin clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his jaw locked in determination.

"It was Cad Bane…wasn't it?" he asked. Kuro's eyes narrowed at the younger Jedi.

"How do you know that?" she questioned.

"Just a hunch," Anakin nearly growled back.

"Yes, Cad Bane is the prisoner that was busted out and the assailants made no effort to disguise themselves before they cut the holocam wires," Mace said, as he pressed a button on the holodisc on the table in front of him. There, an image of a person fully garbed in Mandalorian armor stood behind another Duro male, who was giving the camera a smug look of superiority, taunting them. Obi-Wan squinted his eyes.

"Is that Jaxxis Ord?" he asked. Qui-Gon nodded curtly.

"I thought he was serving a life sentence in prison?" Anakin questioned heatedly.

"He should have been, but somehow, he recently convinced the parole board that he had changed his ways and how is a free man," Qui-Gon stated gravely. Anakin snorted in annoyance.

"He should have never been allowed parole. Now he's just made a mockery of the entire justice system," Anakin spat. Mace nodded, agreeing with the younger Jedi.

"It is clear that their sole intention was to free Bane. Casualties were thankfully light and others sustained only minor injuries from the explosions they set off as a diversion to make their escape. We have already sent Serra and Ferus there to conduct a full investigation," Mace stated.

"How did they even get past the security check points?" Adi Gallia wondered.

"Perhaps Master Skywalker's _ingenious_ security system has failed us," Kuro suggested. Anakin glared at her.

"You would love _that_, wouldn't you?" Anakin spat back.

"No Master Kuro, nothing in the security system failed. The ship simply slipped past like it wasn't even there," Qui-Gon stated.

"They had a cloaking device then and knew exactly how to bypass all the security points," Anakin stated.

"The question is why would Jaxxis Ord team up with a Mandalorian?" Obi-Wan reminded.

"_The only reason Bane or Ord do anything is for money. The Mandalorian has recruited them for whatever he has planned," _came the response from Ferus' hologram.

"Ferus is right. They're most likely headed right back here to Coruscant," Qui-Gon said. Anakin looked at his father, who looked back.

"Masters, please excuse my sons and I," Qui-Gon announced, as he rose from his seat. Anakin and Obi-Wan followed him.

"You're just leaving in the middle of a meeting?" Ki-Adi Mundi protested.

"Forgive me Masters, but this has become a serious family matter," Qui-Gon stated, as they walked out and found Riley waiting for them.

"Riley? What's going on?" Anakin asked.

"I found another body down near the Docks last night. Mandalorian," Riley stated, as they began walking.

"Have we identified him?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, but it's a she and her name was Bec'ca," Riley replied.

"Two dead Mandalorians within just days of each other. We have a clan war going on here," Qui-Gon concluded.

"What are the chances that this Bec'ca knew Day'na?" Anakin asked.

"My gut is telling me pretty damn good. And Al'vez was in good with the Fetts, which mean I'm almost positive that his clan is our for revenge on Jayden," Riley stated.

"The Mandalorian that was with Jaxxis Ord is probably the new leader of Al'vez's clan," Obi-Wan suggested.

"Well, Jayden's here in the Temple so I'll just make sure we don't let him out of our sight. I think we need to pull Natalie from her classes early though. They'll go after her to get to my son," Anakin said, noticing his father's wince.

"What?" he asked.

"Jayden's not in his classes. I don't sense him in the Temple," Qui-Gon stated.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, as he searched for his son's life force nearby and realized that his father was right. Qui-Gon quirked an eyebrow.

"He's your son. You invented cutting classes to go gallivanting around the city or sneaking off with girls," Qui-Gon pointed out, causing Obi-Wan to chuckle at the memories. Anakin groaned.

"Of all the times to take after me," he sighed. Riley patted him on the shoulder.

"He probably went straight for the University. Let's get there and see if we can track them down before he convinces Natalie to cut classes with him," Riley said. Anakin nodded.

"We'll go alert the patrols. If they have a cloaking device, they'll probably slip right past the towers undetected," Qui-Gon stated.

"Perhaps I should go visit Day'na and question her about this Bec'ca," Obi-Wan suggested.

"She probably won't tell you anything," Anakin replied.

"Maybe not, but if she cares even a little about Natalie and finds out that her silence could endanger her daughter's life, then she may come clean. Even if she doesn't, I may be able to tell how involved with this she is, even if she tries to hide it from me," Obi-Wan suggested. Anakin nodded.

"It can't hurt," he agreed, as they parted with their individual missions.

* * *

><p>Natalie's eyes fluttered open, as their lips parted. They sat beside the campus pond and the lunch hour would soon come to an end. Natalie noticed that many were starting to head back into the building.<p>

"I guess I better get back," she said. He smirked.

"Or you could just stay with me," he suggested. She smiled.

"As nice as that sounds, I really shouldn't be missing any classes and you shouldn't be missing anymore than you already have," Natalie reasoned.

"Come on Nat, you're the smartest girl I know. Missing a few afternoon classes for you won't be a big deal," he said. She looked at his handsome face. It was really tempting.

"But I guess if you want to go back to class instead of cruising the city on a hover board with me, then I guess I'll have to accept that," he said, tempting her.

"Hover board? As in your dad's hover board?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"He let you borrow it and your mom was okay with that?" Natalie asked suspiciously.

"Well…borrowed without asking kind of, but I'll put it back tonight before he notices," Jayden promised.

"Jay, this is _your_ dad we're talking about. He's probably noticing right about now," Natalie said, making her boyfriend wince.

"All the more reason for us to make this a day we'll never forget since I'm going to probably get grounded for a month after this," he replied. She shook her head in amusement.

"You know, you don't have to break all the rules just to be with me. I'm only ever going to want you," she reminded. He nodded.

"I know…I just can't help it. Lately I've just wanted to spend every moment I can with you. And I know we have responsibilities…" he trailed off, as she put her finger up to his lips.

"Our responsibilities will still be there tomorrow," she said, as she kissed his cheek and stood up, while he just looked at her.

"Well, are we going?" she asked. He smiled and jumped up, as he hurried back to his speeder, retrieving the hover board. He hopped on and his feet were strapped into place, before he helped her on. Her feet were strapped into place and he held her close, as they stared into each other's eyes for several long moments.

"Don't let go," she whispered. He smiled.

"Like I ever would," he replied, as they went sailing into the air.

* * *

><p>In her quarters that afternoon, Day'na answered a comm call, nearly choking, as she saw her sisters on the other end.<p>

"What are you doing? You know it's too risky calling me on the main comm channel!" she hissed.

"We're sorry, but it's an emergency!" Sal'ma insisted.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"It's Bec'ca…she's dead," Jay'ma announced.

"What? How?" Day'na exclaimed.

"She disappeared two nights ago and her body was discovered yesterday by the authorities. She was murdered," Tan'na explained.

"Blaine…" Day'na growled, knowing this was his work.

"You need to come back. This is getting out of hand. We can't fight his clan without you," Sal'ma hissed.

"I can't. It will jeopardize everything," Day'na refused.

"There will be nothing to jeopardize if we're all dead! We think they're going to attack any time," Tan'na said.

"And if you were to use your daughter…then you could force the Jedi to help us win," Jay'ma said. Day'na felt taken aback and was even surprised by her sudden feelings of protectiveness for Natalie.

"No…I don't want her near this," Day'na refused. Sal'ma scoffed in annoyance.

"I knew it…you care about the little twit. I knew you weren't strong enough for this," she hissed. Day'na glared back at her.

"Are you questioning my authority?" Day'na roared.

"Are you going soft for some brat you just met?" Sal'ma argued. Day'na steeled her gaze on her potential rival. She clenched her teeth and glared daggers.

"We don't need the Jedi's help to deal with Blaine and his band of dimwitted sleamos. I'm leaving now and we'll end this once and for all. That barbarian is not going to ruin everything we have worked for. Rule of Mandalore will be ours, but Natalie can't help me get in Duchess Satine's good graces if she's dead. We'll rid ourselves of Blaine's, his pathetic clan, and then we'll move forward as planned," Day'na said coldly. Sal'ma smirked.

"You had me worried there for a minute. I thought you had actually developed feelings for the little princess," Sal'ma hissed.

"She means nothing to me, simply a means to our eventual rule. She's no use to us if Blaine kills her," Day'na said, as she cut the transmission. She left quickly, nearly missing Obi-Wan Kenobi, and hopped in her speeder, taking off for their temporary headquarters, located in The Works.

* * *

><p>Luke, Marcus, and Jenna were on patrol in the slums. It was actually one of Marcus' first patrols without his father along and he had been extremely excited that his father was trusting him with this new responsibility, as he and Jenna both made their way toward the ranks of senior padawans. For Luke, it was simply another duty that would prove whether or not he was ready for Knighthood. But they weren't getting much action at all and Jenna was getting bored.<p>

"Luke, are you sure about this? I thought this alley was supposed to be where some of the big spice deals went down," Jenna complained. Luke gave her a pointed gaze.

"It is, trust me. This place is usually crawling with activity," he said. They were disguised in civilian clothes as regular young people of course.

"Maybe you two are just too high profile. No one recognizes me, but you two are Skywalkers," he reasoned.

"Normally I might agree with you, but it is never deserted like this unless something big is going down," Luke said.

"Well, I don't see anything," Jenna replied. Suddenly, her big brother grabbed her by the back of the tunic, Marcus too, and hauled them into a nearby crevice.

"What the h…" Jenna started, but his steely look stopped her words.

"Quiet…someone is coming," Luke hissed, as they watched. They spotted a blonde Mandalorian female appear from one of the buildings and a speeder slow down.

"That's Day'na…" Jenna whispered. They watched the brunette woman get in. The two were heatedly discussing something, but the padawans were too far away to hear what they were saying. Soon, they sped off and Luke ran out to see which direction they were going.

"She looks like she's up to no good," Marcus said.

"Yeah, which means Nat could be in danger," Jenna added.

"Whether or not that true, I'm not sure, but she's up to something if she headed toward the Works," Luke replied, as he dashed toward the speeder.

"Get in," he called to them, as he revved the engine. Jenna smirked, as she felt her blood stir. A battle was brewing and Marcus recognized her gleeful look at the possibility of an upcoming fight. He was snapped from his thoughts, but Luke's call. They hopped in and Luke sped off in the same direction Day'na had gone…


	8. Part 8 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 8! Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 8/?

"It's about time you got here," Sal'ma complained, as Day'na and Jay'ma hopped out of the speeder.

"This place isn't close to the Senate district. What's going on?" Day'na asked.

"I told you. Bec'ca is dead and they're probably going to attack any time," Sal'ma hissed.

"If you think they know where we are, then why are we still here? We should get off Coruscant immediately," Day'na suggested.

"No, we're not running from those sleamos. We're ending them," Sal'ma argued.

"We'll be slaughtered. You know how ruthless Blaine is," Day'na argued back.

"She's right Sal'ma. You should listen to her," Blaine's smug voice sounded, as they were slowly surrounded by male Mandalorians.

"Blaine…" Day'na hissed.

"Come on Day'na, don't tell me you didn't see this coming," Blaine spat, as he grabbed her arm. This earned him her right hook, but he only chuckled.

"You killed Al'vez and now you're going to pay," Blaine threatened. She scoffed.

"With Al'vez dead, you have control of your clan. That's not what this is about," Day'na spat. He smirked.

"You're right. The ones I'm really after will be arriving soon," Blaine said, as he came closer to her. She yelped in pain and fell to the floor, as he backhanded her across the face.

"Bane and his partner have been tracking your brat and her boy toy since they left the University today. They'll be here soon," Blaine informed.

"What…do you want with Natalie?" she asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Nothing with her really. It's the boy. We would have ruled Mandalore with Boba Fett leading us and the brat that cut him down in his prime is going to suffer," Blaine spat, as he kicked Day'na aside.

"I'll let you see me torture your kid and her lover before I kill you, though she'll probably want you dead anyway when she finds out about your involvement in their capture," Blaine goaded.

"You sick bastard!" Day'na spat.

"Kill the others," Blaine ordered simply. Day'na could do nothing and watched in horror, as her sisters were all shot to death, blaster bolts ripping through the other three women. Day'na couldn't keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks, as Blaine put her wrists in a pair of stun cuffs.

"Sit back and watch the fun," he hissed

* * *

><p>Natalie leaned against him, as they rode the ferry in the artificial lake of Coruscant.<p>

"Well, it's not a Naboo sunset, but it will do I guess," Jayden said,

"It's perfect as long as I'm with you," Natalie replied, as their lips met in a passionate kiss. There were a few other people on the ferry, but the two teens were oblivious to anyone else and the fact that one was taking holos, because they recognized the youths. However, if Jayden had an inkling to the intrusion, he didn't show, for he was too lost in the petite brunette in his arms.

"I should probably get you home soon," he said, as their lips parted.

"There's no hurry. We're probably both grounded, so we might as well make the best of it," Natalie replied. He smirked.

"I like the way you think," he replied, as he leaned toward her. But just as their lips were about to meet again, a passenger's scream startled them. Jayden whipped around, his senses now going wild, and saw none other than Cad Bane coming at them in a speeder with another man that was of the same species.

"Is that…" Natalie trailed off.

"Bane…" Jayden finished, as he drew his light saber, igniting the azure blade. His partner drove, while Bane hopped onto the hood of the vehicle, before jumping onto the ferry.

"Well, well, someone sprouted up nicely these last few years. It's too bad about the bleak fate that awaits you," Bane goaded.

"I don't know how the hell you got out of prison, but I'm going to send you right back there," Jayden growled, as he guarded Natalie and the other innocent passengers by stepping forward in front of them all.

"Sorry kid, but as much as I would love to engage you in a duel, I've just been paid to deliver you and the girl," Bane said, as Natalie suddenly screamed. Bane's partner had latched onto her with a grappling cable.

"Natalie!" Jayden cried, as he started toward her. But she screamed, as Jaxxis yanked her over the railing and into his speeder. Jayden leapt toward the railing, preparing to sail over it after her, but he felt a searing pain, as something sharp pierced his side. Volts of electricity coursed through his entire body, sending him writhing to the ground in agony. The electricity ceased and Bane tied him up, as he tried in vain to get his bearings through the haze of pain. But his world went black when Bane's boot kicked him in the head. The bounty hunter lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder, grunting in exertion.

"They certainly feed you well, kid," he grimaced.

"Nothing more to see here folks, though I hope you got lots of good holos for his mommy and daddy," Bane goaded to the passenger with the holocam, before he sailed over the railing and into the speeder. Natalie started checking Jayden for injuries, her eyes tear filled, as the speeder resumed flight at top speed.

* * *

><p>Luke, Jenna, and Marcus staked out the place that Day'na and the other woman had gone into. Just when it looked like nothing was going to happen, it got interesting when several male Mandalorians arrived and went in.<p>

"Something big is definitely going down. I can feel it," Marcus whispered. They heard Jenna gasp suddenly.

"Jen…what is it?" Luke prodded.

"Jay…he's in danger…" she whispered. Marcus and Luke glanced at each other, knowing that their twin bond had alerted her to the plight her brother was in.

"Mandalorians…they want revenge on Jay for Boba Fett's death," Luke said, piecing it together.

"Day'na planned on using Natalie to get to him?" Marcus wondered, trying to make sense of it.

"I'll kill her if that was her plan," Jenna growled, as she started toward the warehouse. But Luke stopped her.

"We can't go in there, light sabers blazing, until we know everything. If Jay and Natalie have anything to do with this, then we'll know really soon. We need to play this right or we'll all end up prisoners," Luke reasoned. Jenna silently fumed, but held her place.

"Turn on your tracking device. This place is a maze and we want dad to be able to come straight here," Luke told her. She nodded and pressed her comlink, as Luke raised his own to his lips.

"_Skywalker,"_ his father answered.

"Dad, we followed Day'na down to the works and we think something big is going down. Jenna is also sensing that Jayden is in trouble," Luke explained.

"_I'm picking your sister's signal. We're on our way, but it will take us a while to get there. Don't move in until we get there, unless you're forced to," _Anakin told him. Luke nodded.

"Got it," he replied, as they waited impatiently. It was all they could do and the part they hated most.

* * *

><p>Padme sat at her desk in her office, fidgeting nervously, as she tried in vain to concentrate on the legislation she was reading. But finally she pushed it away, after reading the same line three times, and stood up, looking out at Galactic City from her window. Her eyes immediately locked on the JedI Temple. She had the familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. The same feeling she got each time her husband and children had gone out to stop some new evil that had cropped up. Another evil that wanted to tear her family apart. She heard her office door open and saw her oldest daughter come in with the same look on her face. Leia could likely sense the danger her siblings were in ever more than she could. But Padme was comforted by her husband's strong tremor and unbridled determination to take down anyone and anything that threatened their children.<p>

"Come on sweetie, let's go to the Temple," Padme told her, as they quickly left together. In these times, when all they could do was wait for their loved ones to return, they felt most at ease surrounded by their JedI family.

* * *

><p>As the speeder slowed, Natalie finished tying a piece of cloth that she had torn from the skirt of her dress around Jayden's wound in his side. During the trip, she had carefully pulled the barbed spear out and wrapped it as best she could. She shook her boyfriend gently, trying to rouse him.<p>

"Jay, please wake up," she whimpered, but she was interrupted when Jaxxis Ord yanked her out of the speeder.

"Come along Princess. We have a ransom call to make to your mommy and daddy. Be grateful that all we want from you is money," Ord hissed.

"Yeah, because they have revenge in mind for this one. And this Blaine character is as sadistic as I've seen…and I've come across some sadist sleamos in my day, darlin'," Bane goaded, chilling her to core. The Mandalorians. They wanted revenge on Jayden for what happened aboard the Death Star. She watched helplessly as Bane dragged her beloved's dead weight out of the speeder.

"Having trouble?" Jaxxis asked, poking fun at his partner.

"This kid isn't slight. He weighs way more than he looks," Bane complained, as he started dragging him toward the entrance. But even as Jayden's eyes remained closed, he dug his heels into the ground. Bane jerked him along, but suddenly found himself being flipped over the young Jedi's shoulder. Jayden stumbled unsteadily toward Jaxxis Ord.

"Let her go," he growled.

"You better stay back, boy," Jaxxis warned, as he raised his blaster menacingly.

"All be damned. That much electricity should have knocked you out cold for hours, brat. You're a chip off the old block for sure," Bane joked, referring to Anakin.

"Jayden…look out!" Natalie screamed, as Bane and Ord fired at him. He flipped out of the way and used the Force to pull his light saber from Bane's belt. Hope lit up Natalie's face, but was quickly dashed when she saw an electro whip wrap around Jayden's wrist. He struggled against the weapon, as another one wrapped around his other wrist and then another around his neck, choking him. He fell to his knees, as Blaine approached menacingly. Jayden cried out, as the Mandalorian leader grabbed a fistful of his sandy brown hair. Natalie cried out in despair, as Blaine viciously kicked his foot into the young Jedi's rib cage. He spent several kicks, leaving the young man coughing in pain and gasping for air.

"Get him inside and into the restraints. It's time for you to pay," Blaine hissed, as both young teens were dragged inside.

* * *

><p>"Damn it," Jenna swore, as she prepared to make her presence known. But Luke held her back.<p>

"What are you doing?" she demanded, ready to rip her brother's hand off her shoulder.

"If we go in there sabers blazing, then we're going to end up captured too!" Luke reasoned in a hushed voice.

"He's right Jen. If they have the stuff to take Jayden out, then they can take you out too," Marcus agreed. She huffed, but agreed silently. It was hard, but they had to endure watching Jayden and Natalie be dragged into the warehouse.

"Please tell me you have a plan. Dad is still probably an hour away, even if he is breaking all the speeding codes," Jenna whispered.

"Yes and you two are going to find a back way in. I'm going to see if I can get in from the roof," Luke said.

"What do we do once we're in?" Marcus asked.

"Take out anyone you can as quietly as possible and then we watch until Dad gets here if we can. If they make a move to hurt Jay or Nat, then we'll have no choice to intervene. We'll just have to hope we can hold out until dad and uncle Obi-Wan get here," Luke replied. Their plan was set and with JedI stealth, they approached the compound, preparing to infiltrate…

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan felt his stomach lurch, as his younger brother punched the throttle down again, squeezing far more speed out of the yellow open cockpit speeder than Obi-Wan deemed possible. The other passengers, his young son and Riley didn't seem affected in the slightest. Glancing at Will, he wondered where the boy had inherited his iron stomach and glared at the back of Anakin's head. It certainly wasn't from him and obviously his reckless uncle. He shook his head and tried to focus at the task at hand. This one would be rough and now he was questioning his decision to let his youngest come on this. But he knew Wil was on his way to becoming a capable JedI and knew he would never get any experience if Obi-Wan left him at the Temple all the time. He imagined his wife was pacing a hole in the med bay back at the Temple right about now. He sighed. For a family that really didn't bother anyone, they sure found themselves in plenty of predicaments. He supposed it was their lot in life to be the constant barrier between the innocent and those that wished to do harm to all that was good in the name of power and greed.<p>

"Bane and his friend Ord are going to beg me to put them back in prison when I get done with them," Anakin growled.

"Riley, do you think Day'na is involved in this at all?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"I would love to say no, but in my experience with the Mandalorian faction and all splinter groups of Death Watch, I would have to say that it wouldn't shock me. Natalie is a princess and if Day'na's clan is at war with Boba Fett's former clan, then worming her way into her daughter's powerful, rich family would be in her benefit. She probably has no interest in killing Jayden or Natalie, but they're caught in this war, because of her manipulation and Boba Fett's clan's need for revenge," Riley stated. Anakin's jaw clenched in determination. He knew his father-in-law was right. His former experience with the criminal world made him a fantastic investigator. Over the years, there had many cases that he and Obi-Wan might have never solved without Riley's insight.

"Normally, their squabbling would work in our favor, but it will be deadly to Jay and Nat if they're caught in the crossfire," Anakin said, as he weaved dangerously through traffic. They had no time to lose.

* * *

><p>Jayden's eyes snapped open, as his unconscious state was broken by Natalie's scream. He found his arms and legs suspended by plasma restraints. He was suspended in the plasma ring, on display for his captors, who we were watching him like prey. They wanted his blood. That was clear in their eyes. But he didn't care about his predicament and only about her safety. He struggled in vain, as his eyes locked on her struggling form.<p>

"Get your hands off her!" Jayden roared, as he saw Blaine signal his men. Two electric charged staves were put through the plasma barrier and touched his skin, causing him to scream in agony.

"Jayden!" Natalie sobbed, as the monster before her let it go on for several agonizing moments, before he signaled his men to pull back.

"Shut up vermin. I'll deal with you soon enough," he snapped. Tears streamed down Natalie's face, as her chocolate eyes glared daggers into the woman who had come into her life claiming to be her biological mother.

"How could you do this?" Natalie hissed. Day'na opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by her daughter.

"I was so stupid to actually believe that you wanted to get to know me. I should have known I was just the means to you getting whatever it is that you want," Natalie spat.

"No…you have to believe me. I have nothing to do with this sick bastard's vendetta. I've been trying myself to stop him for years and bring peace to Mandalore. That's why I need you Natalie. I sought you out to get your help to free our people. I do love you, make no mistake," Day'na tried to explain. Blaine scoffed, chuckling in amusement.

"Forever the deceitful wench…all that's a load of Bantha poodoo. You desire to rule Mandalore as much as I do. We both want to bring Duchess Satine down. Peace was never part of the plan. You're just a tool for her to use, girl," Blaine spat.

"Shut up," Day'na growled.

"I'll do whatever you want…give you whatever you want if you just let him go," Natalie pleaded. Blaine chuckled.

"No Nat…" Jayden groaned.

"Sorry Princess, but I don't need your help. And your boyfriend has to pay for killing Boba Fett. An eye for an eye. That's the way we do things," Blaine said, as he drew a vicious looking curved blade from the scabbard at his waist.

"And I'm going to really enjoy watching you squirm in pain, Jedi whelp," he hissed. Natalie screamed, as Blaine raised the blade, preparing to drive it into her beloved's flesh.

Luke's breath hitched in his throat, as he watched the scene from the rafters above. Blaine wasn't wasting any time. The coward had his brother suspended in plasma restraints, because he knew he wasn't sure he could take him on at full strength. Natalie's scream pierced the air and he knew that they might be captured by acting this soon. But he wasn't about to let them murder his baby brother before his eyes and not try and stop them. If they were going to kill Jayden, then they would have to kill Luke first. But just as Luke prepared to drop into the fray of the battle, he watched as the petite princess tore away from her captors with unexpected strength. The look in her eyes startled Luke, as she ran up to Blaine and clawed at him with a ferocity that he had never seen in her. But he had seen it before. He'd seen that look in his mother before. He had seen her do the same things to enemies that were far stronger than her in times where his father had been facing mortal danger. He knew that she wouldn't last long against someone like Blaine, even in her rage, but she had unknowingly given him the exact distraction that they needed. He signaled Jenna and Marcus. And they made their move.

"Leave him alone!" Natalie scream, as she kneed the man holding her arm in the groin, before tearing away for Blaine.

"Nat no…stay back…" Jayden called, as she clawed at punched at their lead captor. He chuckled and slammed his arm into the side of her head with terrible force. She hit the floor hard with a crack, blood slowly trickling from her cracked skull.

"Oops…I think I broke the little princess. She's a feisty one, kid. I can see why you like her. I bet she's a real wild Nexu in bed," Blaine hissed. Jayden's eyes were wide, as he watched her blood start to create a small puddle on the floor.

"Natalie…" he cried, as he swallowed the rising bile in his throat.

"NATALIE!" he screamed when she didn't move. He felt her life signature slowly dissipating, as he touched the Force around her. And his world came crashing down. Pain enveloped him, like his heart was literally being ripped from his chest, and he let out an anguished cry of sorrow. He was supposed to protect her! He had promised her! And breaking a promise to his beloved princess broke him inside. This couldn't be happening. The simple phrase repeated itself in his head, over and over again, like a broken holodisc. She was everything that meant anything to him, besides his family. She was the other half of his soul. If she died, he died. It was as simple as that. He wasn't being over dramatic. It was just the way he worked. The realization that Natalie was dying hit him like a ton of permacrete bricks and he felt the power stirring in his being. He usually shied away from it, as he had only sampled it a few times. He had yet to truly, fully embrace it like his father. He was wary of it. He had seen the mysterious Force powers erupt from his father and lay waste to anything evil in his way. Though he had never truly admitted it, he was slightly frightened that he had the potential to do the same. But whatever inhibition had held him back before was gone now. His anguished cries grew in volume, as his chest heaved. He convulsed with rage that threatened to swallow him up. Blaine took a few involuntary steps back from the plasma ring, as hit began to shake.

"Stabilize it and turn up the power!" he barked, as Day'na sunk to her knees beside Natalie. Her intentions had never been pure, but in the short time that she had known the girl she had brought into the world, she grew to care for her.

"What have I done?" she whispered, choking back a sob.

"I suggest that you either help your daughter or get away. She can still be saved and I won't let you hurt her," Luke said, as his feet landed solidly on the floor and swiped his blade through her stun cuffs.

"She's my daughter," Day'na hissed, even though he had freed her.

"Then act like her mother," Luke hissed back. Day'na tore some fabric from Natalie's dress and applied pressure against her daughter's head wound, while Blaine turned to the elder Skywalker brother.

"Well…come to save baby brother, have we?" Blaine goaded with a sadistic smirk.

"Too bad I'm about to slice him open," Blaine hissed. But it was Luke that smirked this time.

"You'll have to go through me first. And believe me…you're going to feel really lucky that you're facing me instead of Jayden in a few minutes," Luke goaded back. Blaine's smirk faltered slightly.

"He's not getting free, if that's what you're thinking. They'll contain him and I'll dispose of you both," Blaine replied confidently. Luke's smirk didn't disappear.

"Nothing can hold him now. Not after what you just did to Natalie, but I'll be happy to take a crack at you and throw him your pieces," Luke snapped back. The statement had the desired effect the young Jedi wanted and Blaine brought his blade up, swinging it down at Luke, who expertly blocked with his azure blade. As Luke dueled Blaine, Jayden flailed angrily against his restraints. His screams were in rage and pain, as Blaine's men tried to subdue him with electrified staves, but as he let all the power inside him go, the restraints finally snapped, his eyes now a startlingly bright blue. He fell solidly to his feet from the plasma ring and glared at Day'na. She seemed to be helping his Natalie and so with warning gaze, he turned his attention to Jaxxis Ord, who had confiscated his light saber. Ord fired his blaster at the young Jedi, but Jayden simply held out his hand, absorbingly the blaster bolts like they were nothing, and continued his purposeful stride toward the mercenary. Jaxxis felt the light saber fly from his belt and ignite in the teen's hand.

"You want a fight, brat?" he goaded, as he fired his flamethrower. But his mouth hung open in disbelief, as a glowing shield blocked the flames and he cried out, as they were sent back in his face. Cad Bane could hardly believe his eyes, as his former partner was now engulfed in his own attack, his agonizing screams filling the warehouse.

"You never showed any of your victims mercy, but I'm better than you, so I'll grant you a far swifter end than you deserve," Jayden spoke calmly, as he ended Ord's suffering with a swipe of his now silvery white glowing blade.

"Stop that brat!" Blaine screamed, as his terrified men, as continued his duel with Luke. His men began to fire their electrified barbed cables at the young Jedi, but their weapons bounced off his shield like nothing. Jenna and Marcus cut their way through the onslaught of armed Mandalorians when Cad Bane cut them off.

"I ain't gonna be so easy to get past, kids," Bane growled. Jenna glared back at him.

"Marcus, go get Natalie. I still don't trust Day'na. I can handle the bounty hunter," Jenna said. Marcus nodded, knowing she would fare better against the experienced mercenary than he would.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, little girl," Bane goaded, as he drew a long, heat resistant.

"You don't scare me," Jenna retorted, as she ignited her light saber and charged at him.

Blaine knew he was going to lose if he didn't pull out the weapon he had stolen in one of his many exploits. He flipped the switch on the peculiar looking device around his wrist and it hummed, as he charged up. Smirking evilly, as Luke brought his light saber down, he fired the weapon. A beam of golden energy erupted from the output of the weapon, hitting Luke squarely in the chest. He was violently thrown back into a pile of storage bins, stunned, as he could barely breath. Whatever that weapon was, it was powerful.

"Jayden…watch out!" he cried, as he collapsed into a coughing fit, trying to get air into his lungs. Blaine smirked and turned up the power on the device.

"Stop this, brat," he sneered, as he fired point blank at the young Jedi…


	9. Part 9 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 9! Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 9/10

Jayden felt the heat of the glowing energy on him as it barreled toward him. This Blaine person had somehow gotten a hold of some radical new weapon, no doubt designed to deal with powers like he and his father had. With no time to escape, he raised his shimmering saber, which blazed with white flames to block the massive beam of energy. It slammed into the young Jedi and his feet slid back, as he was pushed by the powerful force. His muscles burned, as he tried to overcome the attack. "Give it up brat, not even you can block this," Blaine said smugly. He was right, as the beam finally pushed through. Jayden twisted his body to keep from taking the blast to his chest. Instead, he felt searing pain in his left shoulder and arm, as the energy burned into him with a vengeance before finally dying out. He hissed in pain and clutched his burned arm. "Pretty wizard gadget, huh kid? Something like this would cost a fortune, but someone actually gave it to me. Someone out there really doesn't like your family," Blaine goaded. "Figures. A low life sleamo like you would need help to take on Jedi, especially if you plan on trying to go up against someone like my dad," Jayden spat, as he slowly pulled himself up onto his knees. Blaine growled and grabbed Jayden by his mop of sandy brown hair. Cruelly, Blaine kneed the boy in the chest and there was a snap, as a couple ribs broke. He dropped the boy back to the floor and kicked him in the stomach this time. He dropped him and then drew a dagger sized vibro blade.

"Try not to squirm too much while I gut you, Jedi punk," Blaine hissed, as he drew the blade back. But it was stopped by Luke's azure blade. He had managed to pull himself to his feet, even though his chest was on fire from the pain caused by the beam of energy that had hit him. "If you think we're going down that easily, then you seriously don't know who you're dealing with. Fight me without all your stupid toys and we'll see who comes out on top?" Luke hissed. Blaine barred his teeth. "You want a fight, kid? All right then," Blaine hissed, as he drew his sword and engaged in a duel again with the eldest Skywalker boy.

* * *

><p>Marcus rushed to Natalie and knelt beside her, where Day'na continued to apply pressure to Natalie's head wound.<p>

"Is there a med kit around here?" Marcus demanded.

"I…I think so," Day'na replied.

"Get it and I'll take it from here," Marcus said, as he replaced her hand on Natalie's wound. Day'na hesitated.

"Look, I've got basic healer training and I have to stabilize her until we can get her to the Temple. I'm not going to let one of my best friends die, now get me the med supplies!" he demanded, sounding much more like his girlfriend than his usual soft spoken self. Day'na hurried and retrieved the kit. She then watched the young man work, as he wrapped the head wound in gauze and then close his eyes with his hand over her forehead.

"What are you doing?" she asked. He didn't answer, but then opened his eyes a few minutes later.

"I started her in a healing trance. It's not the strongest though, since my healing skills are novice. It should be enough until we get her to Kimberly and Bant," Marcus mentioned. Day'na looked at the young fifteen-year-old in amazement. Who were these kids? In the last thirty minutes, she had seen these mere children, ages ranging from fifteen to nor more than nineteen, not only engage a seasoned sect of Mandalorian and hold their own, but also kill another seasoned bounty hunter and engage a legendary one. And from the looks of it, the young Jenna Skywalker was giving Cad Bane one of the toughest battles of his life. Her reverie was interrupted, as she witnessed Marcus twist around and block oncoming blaster fire with his emerald blade blazing to life in flash. He disposed of the Mandalorian lackey and then gently lifted Natalie into his arms.

"We need to move her out of the middle of all this, but moving her is tricky. Come support her head," Marcus ordered. Day'na didn't hesitate this time, as they hurried over to some crates and laid her behind them, providing some cover. As Day'na stayed with her young daughter, padawan Olin leapt back into the fray of battle, his emerald blade blocking any oncoming attacks that might find their way to his best friend's love. Regret and guilt were new emotions to Day'na and as she stared at her beautiful, brunette daughter, they began to eat her alive.

* * *

><p>Jenna blocked Bane's blaster fire with expert precision and then leapt toward him, toppling him to the ground. Her fists hammered into his face and chest, as she prepared to tear him apart. Bane growled and shoved his feet into the young girl's abdomen, kicked her off. She landed painfully on her back, as he pulled his bloodied self to his feet. No child…especially not some little girl was going to beat him. He was the legendary Cad Bane, after all. He pointed his blaster at her, taunting her, as he grabbed a rope that was hanging from the rafters. As usual, when he knew things were dicey and he could not win, he would escape to have his revenge another day. He had been in prison for the last few years and he was not going back.<p>

"Too bad I won't be here to see the look on your daddy's face when he finds your corpse, girly," Bane growled, as he fired. Jenna clenched her eyes shut and called on the Force, as she always did when in trouble. It always worked for her twin, but Jenna didn't except the same. But when no pain came and she was still breathing, she cautiously opened her eyes, finding a silver Force shield around her form. She smiled in amazement. In her time of need, the Force had answered her, just as it always had with her twin brother. She had always doubted her powers before, since they had always manifested themselves differently.

"_You're just as special as your brother…young one," _Jenna gasped, as she heard the familiar cultured voice.

"Grandfather…" she whispered, as tears welled in her eyes.

"_Combine your extraordinary physical strength with your Force powers and you will be unstoppable," _Yan told her. She hesitated, as she watched Bane climb the rope. She had always feared losing control. She knew her physical strength was often fueled by anger, which she never seemed to have a shortage of.

"_Focus your anger. Use it…do not be consumed by it. Only then will you maintain control,"_ Yan instructed. Jenna watched him reach the rafters and slowly make his way across the thin metal beam, trying to balance and not fall. He was not far away from the roof hatch. If he reached that, he would escape again and come back later to haunt the people she loved. Her jaw clenched with determination, her face clearly reflecting her heritage. Gathering the Force around her feet, she sailed into the air and landed on the rafter near him. Seeing her, Bane attempted to hurry across, but it wouldn't matter. The rafter they were on was suspended by two sets of steel chains on either side. Grabbing a hold of the chains on one side, Jenna pulled with all her might. Crying out under the strain, Bane could only watch in horrid disbelief, as the girl snapped durasteel chains with her bare hands. The beam fell on one side, sending Bane crashing to the dirty floor. It hung by one set of the chains, dangling in the air above the bounty hunter, while the young Jedi hung from the other, before slowly lowered herself to the ground. She loomed over Bane and he gazed up at her, snarling with blazing red eyes.

"Fine, you got me kid. So kill me already," he growled. Jenna smirked, unnerving the bounty hunter, for he had seen the exact same smirk on her father many times before.

"Nah, I think prison again is worse punishment, especially when all your cell mates find out that you got beat by a _little girl,_" Jenna replied, mocking him. He growled and kicked his foot up at her, aiming for her chest. But she caught it and with a small twist, a snap was heard and Bane roared in pain, as she broke his leg. Jenna looked around for something to bind him with and found a very thin rod of durasteel around the crates, which was usually used in the bottom of shipping crates to stabilize heavy cargo. She bent it around him and shoved him back to the ground, before dusting her hands off.

"Daddy will be here soon to deal with you," Jenna said, almost sweetly, as she went to help her brothers.

* * *

><p>Blaine laughed wickedly, as he fired his weapon that he had acquired in his travels. He didn't know who had created it, but he knew it was done with the intention of taking down Jedi, particularly the powerful ones in the Skywalker family. It wasn't cheap, but they were out there on the black market, no doubt to tempt those who believed they were good enough or those who were crazy enough to go up against Anakin Skywalker or his brats. Luke dodged the lethal energy blasts, completely on the defensive. With that weapon in his possession, Luke was not able to take any offensive action. He had survived being hit once with it and he wasn't sure he could do that again. That was unless he could get his brother to unleash his power again. He didn't have complete control of it yet though and it came in bursts of rage.<p>

"Jayden…we need to end this. Natalie isn't going to make it if we don't get her back to the Temple soon," Luke called to him. Jayden understood and pulled himself to his feet. His wounded arm lay limp at his side, unusable, but he ignited his light saber with the other. It glowed with brilliant white energy and he began blocking the energy blasts with its enhanced power. Blaine snarled and turned the device up to full power. It hummed dangerously and Luke's eyes widened.

"You're going to bring this whole place down if you keep this up!" he cried. Blaine chuckled psychotically.

"That's the point. A couple of stupid snot nosed brats aren't going to beat me," he sneered, as he fired a large blast of energy. Luke's eyes widened and he watched, as his baby brother braced for the attack. It slammed against Jayden's blade and his feet slid back several feet. He tried to keep his footing, as he fought to keep the blast from obliterating the entire warehouse and everyone in it.

"I'm losing it…get everyone out of here!" Jayden cried, as he struggled.

"No way…we're not going anywhere," Luke said, as Jenna joined them.

"Our blades will crack under the pressure, but we can repel with the Force. Pour your strength into it and push it back," Luke instructed his sister, as they both emerged themselves in the Force and began to push it back. Blaine frowned, as he saw his glowing blast that hovered in the air slowly begin to creep back toward him. He growled and fired more, adding to the current energy's power and put more strain on the young Jedi that tried to push back. Everyone left could only watch the spectacle in awe.

"We're slipping…" Jayden cried.

"Marcus, get everyone out of here," Luke called. He nodded, as they started moving Natalie toward the exit. Blaine chuckled.

"Say goodnight kiddies," he hissed, as he fired another blast, increasing the power and strain on the Jedi.

"Son of a Sith…" Riley gawked, as they finally arrived and entered the tattered warehouse.

"What in bloody hell…" Obi-Wan swore, as they stared at large orb of crackling, technologically created energy. He barely saw Anakin dash by them and join his children on the other side.

Just as they were sure they would soon be engulfed by the searing energy, they suddenly felt some of the strain lift. They felt their father's presence and power around them before they saw him. His startlingly bright blue eyes pierced through Blaine, who now noticed Anakin on the other side. His glowing white blade crackled with silver electricity, as he crossed it with Jayden's, gaining a clear strong hold on the unpredictable energy.

"Repel up. We need to send this thing into the atmosphere or it's going to destroy everything around us," Anakin instructed. They did as their father instructed and the ball blasted through the roof, sending debris raining down on them. The ball of energy disappeared harmlessly into the atmosphere, dissipating as it reached space. Blaine snarled, as he prepared to fire again, but Anakin raised his hand and yanked the device from him, catching it in his hand. Blaine was now surrounded by Anakin, three of his kids, Obi-Wan and his son Wil. Their light sabers all lit and extended to him. To avoid certain death, Blaine raised his arms in surrender. Obi-Wan placed him in stun cuffs, as Riley scoped out the rest of the place, noticing that all the other Mandalorians, male and female, with the exception of Blaine and Day'na were dead.

"Nice work kids, but where's Ord?" Riley asked.

"He's that pile of ashes right there, thanks to Jayden," Luke said. Riley whistled and then noticed Bane. He smirked devilishly.

"Well, well, what happened here?" he asked in amusement.

"Jen did that," Luke mentioned. Riley laughed.

"Just wait till all the boys find out that big bad Bane got beat by a girl," Riley chuckled. Bane struggled.

"That isn't a girl. She's a freak!" Bane snarled. Riley frowned and then punched him in the face.

"That's my baby granddaughter you're talking about, sleamo," Riley growled, as he hauled him to his feet. They didn't waste anymore time and headed back to the Temple with their prisoners and the injured Natalie.

* * *

><p>Padme's pacing ceased, as she saw her husband and three children finally return. They were in the healer's ward. Day'na and Marcus had arrived not long ago and Natalie was currently being healed. Her arms flew around her husband and their lips met in a short kiss, before she hugged her eldest son and her youngest twins.<p>

"Natalie…" Jayden said, as his mother pulled back, even as he hissed from the pain in his chest. He was limping too.

"She's going to be okay. They're healing her now and you'll be able to see her in a little while. You're hurt though," Padme assured him. He sighed.

"I'm fine, nothing a dip in the bacta tank won't cure," he assured her. She nodded.

"I'll get a couple tanks ready for Jayden and Luke," Sola said, as she retreated into the med ward.

"But you're not off the hook and we'll be talking about your skipping classes later," Padme added. Jayden groaned. He and Natalie were so grounded. And he would be putting in extra hours in the gym. Grounding was his mother's way of punishment and heavy training was his father's.

Jayden sat down next to Marcus and his twin.

"I haven't got the chance to thank you yet," Jayden said.

"For what?" Marcus asked.

"Your quick thinking and first aid skills are why Natalie is alive," Jayden said, the grief in his voice thick with the realization that he had come so close to losing her. Marcus smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're my best friend and so is she. I'm not going to let anything happen to anyone I care about if I can do something to prevent it. You were doing your part and I was doing mine. I know you would do the same for me," Marcus told him. Jayden smiled.

"Count on it," he replied, as shared a brotherly handshake. Jenna rolled her eyes.

"You two are mushier than Natalie and me and we're girls," she teased. Marcus wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his embrace.

"Too bad, you're stuck with us," he joked, as they continued to try and keep the mood light while they waited for news of Natalie's condition. Bail and Breha could barely contain their worry and Jayden watched his mother and older sister try to comfort them. He also watched his father leave, knowing that he intended to interrogate Blaine. His Aunt Sola called him and his brother. They followed her.

* * *

><p>Blaine looked up at the entrance of his small cell, as the purple plasma bars disappeared and Anakin walked through.<p>

"Well, well, the Hero With No Fear. To what pleasure do I owe being in the presence of such greatness?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcastic disdain.

"Just here to deliver a message. Duchess Satine has ordered that you be returned to Mandalore to stand trial. You'll be escorted there in three days by a Jedi team led by my brother and Ferus Olin," Anakin said simply, as he turned to leave. Blaine scoffed.

"That's it? I finally get an audience with the Chosen One and all you do is talk?" Blaine spat in amusement.

"I thought you were a man of action, Skywalker? I smacked your brats around. How are the young one's ribs healing up?" Blaine goaded.

"I thought maybe you would at least show me a little of that supposed power you have. Guess that pacifist little wench of yours has taken most of the fight out of you," Blaine hissed. Anakin smirked and pretended to lunge at him. Blaine jumped in surprise and then a scowl marred his face when the Jedi chuckled at his reaction.

"Yeah, you're not so big and bad. You'll be someone's bitch in Kessel for sure," Anakin goaded. Blaine clenched his teeth.

"I'd like to show you just how ruthless I can be, pretty boy," he snarled. Anakin smirked and brought himself face to face with the Mando warrior. Blaine's eyes widened, as the sapphire eyes before him flashed silver for a moment and a bolt of silvery lightning crackled around the Jedi, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"Oh believe me, I would love to throw away all the rules and give you that fight. Right now, those rules are all that's protecting you from me ripping you apart for ever daring to come near my children. Just keep pushing me and the rules will go out the window," Anakin said dangerously. Blaine gulped nervously, hating himself at the moment. No one had ever gotten under his skin like this or frightened him so easily. He didn't like it one bit.

"Leave me alone, you freak!" he spat. Anakin smirked and backed away, before leaving. He saw his wife approaching him and he took her in his arms, relishing the feeling of her pressed against him and the way her heart wordlessly spoke to his. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her passionately and deeply. They parted and with arms around each other, they began to trek back toward the med ward.

"Luke is out of the bacta tank already since his injuries were very minor and Jayden is almost ready to come out. Natalie's head wound was treated and now she's in the bacta tank. She's going to be fine," Padme reported, as Anakin sighed in relief.

"Does Jay know?" he asked. She nodded. "Jenna communicated it to him through their twin bond," Padme answered, as she drew a shaky breath.

"What is it?" he asked, as they stopped.

"Somehow the Holonet has gotten word of everything that went down today and that Day'na, who has been arrested by the Jedi for various crimes, is Natalie's biological mother. There's about to be a media circus outside the Temple," Padme said. He sighed. Only someone in the Temple could have leaked that information and he had an idea of who had done so.

"They don't need this," Anakin said, referring to the Organa family and even their own son, who would be dragged into everything too.

"I know, but we'll get through this. Steph and Ethan are on their way. We'll set the record straight as we always do," she replied, as they continued on. They would make their statement, but it wouldn't stop the gossip. Nothing would and he was not looking forward to the Council meeting that would take place the next morning. They would bicker and accusations would fly, only further fracturing them. It was dangerous and an absolute breeding ground for Sith deception. Sifo-Dyas and his cohorts were out there somewhere, laughing…and plotting. Padme squeezed his hand reassuringly, as they entered the waiting room outside the med ward again. It was going to be a long night…


	10. Part 10 of 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars. I just created my own little AU sandbox to play in.

AN: Here's part 10! Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Origins: A Forever Destined Vignette

Part 10/10

Jayden held her close, as they curled up together on the sofa in the Skywalker family quarters in the Jedi Temple. They were watching the interview that she had just recorded only an hour ago with Steph and Ethan, along with her parents.

"_Thank you Princess for graciously answering all our questions," _Ethan said in, as the interview came to a close.

"_Thank you for allowing me to personally tell my story. I only hope it will put a rest to most of the untrue gossip out there," _Natalie replied.

Natalie scoffed.

"I don't know why I said that. The Temple is still swarming with reporters," she complained. Jayden leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry about them. Most of those reporters are nothing but insensitive vultures. Besides, some of it is my fault. They're all over me about my powers again. Apparently, I'm dangerous, you know," he replied, giving her a sly look. She smirked and cuddled against him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mmm…dangerously handsome, maybe," she purred, as she sought his lips. He eagerly responded, capturing hers in his own hungry embrace. Their lips moved sensually over each other's for several long moments. But before it could become a full blown make out session, Natalie pulled away, seeing as they were going to start showing media reaction to her interview.

"_We have just watched an interview given by the Princess of Alderaan and her parents, King and Queen Organa. Earlier today, news broke that the adopted Princess of Alderaan is actually the daughter of two members of a particularly violent sect known as Death Watch. Her Mandalorian father is deceased and her mother is currently in Jedi custody, awaiting trial and sentencing for crimes that are said to include murder, attempted murder, and accessory to her own biological daughter's kidnapping. The Death Watch sect leader, known as Blaine, was also apprehended by the Jedi tonight, as was notorious bounty hunter, Cad Bane. It has been speculated that the youngest Skywalker twins had a large hand in their apprehension, once again displaying powers much like their sire, the Chosen One. Many are wondering if these two padawan powerhouses have no limit to their extraordinary abilities. Many more are concerned that such power could be a danger to the entire Republic one day. Senator Organa, however, was quick to dismiss any worry over the twins, citing that they, like their father, are the Republic's first line of defense against evil," _

The reporter droned on and he was sure Natalie's interview would slowly be picked apart by people that made their living at tearing people down. But he would have none of it and the holoscreen went dark, as he raised his hand.

"Nothing they have say means anything, because we know the truth," he assured her.

"I know…but they have every right to question my position. I'm not Alderaanian by blood and…" Natalie said. He cut her off by bringing his finger to her lips.

"Blood has nothing to do with what kind of person you are," he assured her.

"You're the Princess of Alderaan and someday, you will represent your people in the Senate. They couldn't have better representation. No one can help their origins," he reminded her. She nodded.

"I know…and I know I shouldn't worry about what they think," Natalie chided herself. He lifted her chin with his fingers, making her look him in the eye.

"You're Natalie Organa, Princess of Alderaan and it doesn't matter where you came from or what your roots are. Because to me, you're just…mine," Jayden replied. Natalie melted at his words, as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. He cupped her face in his hands and gently wiped them away, as he gently kissed her lips tenderly. Natalie responded fervently, deepening their kiss. Their lips parted and he pressed his forehead to hers, as they stared into each other's eyes. He gently traced his thumb along the small, barely visible scar along her hairline from the head injury she had sustained. She saw his face darken slightly, as the thought of the man that had given this to her and she gently pulled his hand away.

"I'm fine…thanks to you. Luke told me what happened while I was unconscious…how your powers just erupted," she said.

"I thought you were going to die and my heart was breaking," he replied, as his voice hitched slightly.

"Shh…but I didn't die. I'm okay," she assured him and he nodded.

"I know. I love you Natalie," he whispered, as their lips drew closer again. She smiled, her heart melting even more.

"I love you too," she replied, as their lips met again.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning…<em>

Dawn was upon the Coruscant horizon and even though it was an artificial sunrise, years of early rising was ingrained into him. He opened his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. He yawned and smiled down at his wife, as she lay sleeping atop his bare chest, her head tucked against the nape of his neck. He returned his left arm to her waist, as he resumed holding her tightly. He inhaled the sweet scent of her chestnut curls and it was like heaven. No matter how many mornings he had awakened with her in his arms like this, he knew he would never tire of it. He pressed his lips to her forehead, as she stirred gently, cooing softly. He smiled, as her eyes fluttered open and dark, soulful eyes met sparkling sapphire ones. Even at this hour, she was breathtaking to him.

"Morning handsome," she cooed.

"Morning beautiful angel," he answered, as their lips met tenderly. He buried his hands in her silken curls, as their lips moved over each other's passionately. Padme gazed into her husband's desire filled eyes. Her own eyes were filled with love and lust for him, as the thoughts of her gorgeous husband making love to her filled her with anticipation. Over twenty years of marriage had done nothing to dull their passion and want for one another. They went to sleep at night, entwined in each other's arms, often after making love and awoke to the same amorous activities often, before they began their day. They were bonded to one another, two halves of one soul, eternal lovers with insatiable hunger for each other...

* * *

><p>Natalie clutched Jayden's hand tightly; as they approached the Temple's holding cells, which were located in the bowels of the compound. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.<p>

"You don't have to do this, you know," he reminded her. She nodded.

"I know, but I need to see her. Marcus says she really was concerned about me when I got hurt. I know she's going to prison and I don't think we'll ever be close. But I still want to tell her that I don't hate her," Natalie replied. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"You're amazingly strong," he complimented.

"Only because you're my strength," she replied, as they approached Day'na's cell. She was purposely in the first cell so they did not have to walk passed the holding cells that contained Cad Bane or Blaine. As Day'na looked up, she was startled for a moment, but then quickly came closer to the bars. She was surprised to see her daughter and her boyfriend.

"Natalie…oh I'm so glad you're okay," Day'na said. There was an awkward pause, before Natalie spoke.

"I'm glad you're okay too. I'm just sorry that there won't be anything I can do to keep you out of prison," Natalie replied. Day'na reached through the bars and took her hand.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I was wrong and you have every right to hate me. I planned to use you against Duchess Satine and manipulate my way into ruling Mandalore," Day'na admitted.

"I've done a lot of bad things and making sure you ended up being raised by a good family is the only good thing that I have ever done. I'm a selfish person and I won't lie to you about who I am. I wouldn't blame you if had not come," Day'na confessed. Natalie nodded.

"I'm not naïve about your past, especially now that I know what you've been involved in. But I'm not you and for all the wrongs you committed, I will work to right another. Your decision to give me up made me who I am and I would never dishonor that by following in your footsteps, despite the things the Holonet is saying about me," Natalie said, pausing for a moment.

"I know you won't change overnight and that you might never change. But I do know that you care for me. Your actions at the beginning of my life are proof of that and while you were going to use me, I do not believe you ever wanted me to die," Natalie continued.

"Never…and when I thought my actions might have caused your death, it affected me more deeply than I imagined anything could. I only hope that you'll visit me from time to time. I'd like to get to know you more," Day'na said sincerely, as she squeezed her hand.

"I know you'll never call me mom. I wouldn't expect you to, but I'll gladly watch you from afar. You're going to do great things and you're a far better person than I will ever be," Day'na said, as she withdrew her hand and placed hers on Jayden's.

"Take care of her," Day'na said. The young Jedi stared at her intently, his indigo eyes piercing through her, as they shared a meaningful gaze.

"She's my life. No harm will come to her as long as I'm standing in the way," Jayden assured her. It was both a promise and a warning to Day'na for the future. Day'na broke the uneasy gaze and pulled her hand away.

"Go…don't spend your whole day down in this dingy place," she implored. Natalie nodded, as they shared a silent goodbye with their eyes, before she let Jayden lead her away.

* * *

><p>"Your Highness, please tell us how you feel about your adopted daughter's true origins?" one reporter shouted at Breha, as she made her way into the Senate building. Bail ignored them more easily than his wife, as he prepared to head to his office for the day. He was reluctant to leave her, but he knew that the young man that they had come to love as a son wouldn't let the vultures overwhelm her.<p>

"Stand back," Shane ordered firmly, as he guarded the Queen of Alderaan.

"Senator Organa, is it true that you are going to allow the girl to continue as Princess of Alderaan?" another shouted.

"Yes, rumor has it that some in parliament have called for her title to be suspended," another shouted.

"Rumor also has it that some of the Jedi are none too thrilled by one of their own being associated with the daughter of two leaders of Death Watch," another spat viciously. Shane's eyes flashed with anger. He hated the media, as they had taken shots at him over his own origins. He didn't wish on his adoptive sister or the boy she loved.

"We have no comment at this time," Bail said calmly, as he recognized one of the reporters as Veronica's father, Timothy. He seemed to always be in the middle when there was any dirt to be had on the Skywalker family or now his family.

"We shouldn't be surprised. They'll allow her to remain Princess, just like they allow this boy to command the Alderaanian military, even though his own parents had known ties to the people responsible for producing the Sith Lord known as Sifo-Dyas," the man said maliciously. Shane's eyes flashed with anger.

"I'm nothing like my father," he spat angrily. Timothy smirked, as he got the intended reaction he was looking for.

"Temper, temper, _General_ Organa. I don't think your sweet little girlfriend would approve if you lost your temper on an innocent reporter. I hear the _weak one_ doesn't much like violence," Timothy goaded. Shane clenched his teeth.

"Say what you want about me, but don't you dare speak about Kimberly. She is far from weak. You know nothing," Shane spat angrily, but Timothy only chuckled.

"Thank you for the sound bites, General. I'm sure the public will find it very interesting," Timothy sneered, as he clicked the recording device off. Suddenly, the holocams and recording devices, including Timothy's sparked and fell to pieces.

"Well, well, General Skywalker. Destroying more public property, I see," Timothy spat, as Anakin approached with Padme on his arm.

"You can send us the bill," Anakin spat back, as he led his wife past the mob of reporters. Breha sighed tiredly, as they all arrived in Bail's office.

"By the stars, how do you two deal with that all time?" Breha asked in exasperation.

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with all of this. I thought Natalie's interview would deter them a little, but Veronica's father has been on a rampage against us since the whole ordeal with her attempted murder," Padme said, as she put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"But Clovis and Sifo-Dyas are to blame for that," Shane said in confusion.

"Yeah, but that slime slug blames us for Veronica being in that situation in the first place. He's dragged Clovis through the mud too though. And every chance he gets, he manages to bring up the fact that my grandfather was friends with Sifo-Dyas in his youth. He considers us all guilty of everything that's wrong with the galaxy," Anakin replied.

"He's one bitter man," Padme added. Anakin chuckled.

"A bitter prick that needs to get laid, or so Ferus puts it," Anakin joked. They all smiled at that. It was exactly the thing that they would expect from Ferus Olin's mouth.

"Well, let's not let him spoil this day. After we tend to our daily duties, we have a sixteenth life day celebration to attend for Natalie and the twins," Bail reminded, getting them all to smile again. Since the twins and Natalie's life-days were within a week of each other's, they had decided to throw a huge celebratory bash at Calin's resort that evening.

* * *

><p>That evening, the sixteenth life-day celebration was in full swing at Calin's resort. Despite their attempts, Holonet reporters were kept outside the resort's partyball room where it was being held, thanks to very tight security. The three guests of honor were currently dancing, Jayden and Natalie together and Marcus with Jenna.

Callista watched the festivities from the sidelines, as she rested a hand on her rounded abdomen and sipped at drink.

"I hope that's non-alcoholic," Luke said, as he approached. She rolled her eyes.

"Relax, it's sparkling cider," she assured him.

"You don't really think I'm evil enough to harm this baby, do you?" Callista questioned. He looked at her and then back out at the dance floor.

"I guess not. I know you didn't want to have it, but for what it's worth, I'm very grateful that you're doing this for me," Luke said sincerely.

"I'm doing it for the money," she reminded and he smirked.

"Of course," he replied.

"So, did you tell your parents that it's a boy?" she asked. He grinned.

"Yep, they're ecstatic. I am too, though we'd be just as excited if it was a girl," Luke replied.

"You're an enigma, kid," Callista mentioned. His brows furrowed.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"You're the only nineteen-year-old guy I know that would actually be excited at the prospect of becoming a single parent," Callista replied. He shrugged.

"It's not going to be easy, but nothing worth doing is. There's no reason not to be happy about the creation of a new life. I didn't envision myself being a parent this young, but it happened. I thought I'd be married too before I became a father, but things rarely work out the way we think they're going to," Luke replied simply.

"That's the truth," Callista quipped.

"So, what are you going to name this little twerp?" she asked.

"I haven't decided yet. Mom has a huge list compiled for me to go through though," he said chuckling. Callista snorted.

"That's not surprising. Mommy of the year is practically bursting at the seams for this brat," Callista said.

"You're cranky tonight," he quipped.

"Your kid is making me crave weird things," she quipped back. He chuckled.

"Then we should go visit the buffet table. I could eat again," Luke said.

"Again? No wonder. This kid definitely has the Skywalker appetite," Callista complained, as she followed him to the tables that were filled with food.

* * *

><p>Sav stared longingly at Kimberly Skywalker, as she talked with her older sister and sipped at the drinks in their hands.<p>

"How is it that the most beautiful woman in the room doesn't have a dance partner?" Sav asked, as he cautiously approached.

"Oh, hello Sav. Have you met my sister, Leia?" Kimberly asked.

"It's a pleasure, Leia," he replied, acknowledging her politely. Leia nodded curtly in response and fought the urge to pull her little sister as far away from this man as possible.

"Would you please do me the great honor of sharing a dance with me, Kimberly?" he asked.

"Oh…that's very sweet of you Sav. Shane is on his way though. His duties unfortunately held him up later than he expected," Kimberly replied.

"I mean you no harm and I want to apologize for my behavior a few days ago. If you'll dance with me, I would be happy to explain my actions," Sav pleaded. Kimberly sensed sincerity from him that she had never sensed before and nodded reluctantly. Leia bit her lips nervously and noticed Jayden and Jenna begin to walk toward them. But she quickly headed them off.

"She's ok guys. Kim isn't weak and she can fight her own battles. She doesn't need us, as much as we would love to protect her from everything," Leia reasoned, noticing her father's stare on the young man that was dancing with his middle daughter.

"That creep better keep his hands where I can see them," Jayden growled. Leia rolled her eyes. Skywalker males were overprotective to the point of being ridiculous.

"Relax Jay. If Daddy can contain himself from throttling Sav, then you can too," Leia replied. Jenna scoffed.

"Mom is the only thing containing Dad right now," Jenna said with a smirk.

"I don't like him either, but he said he just wanted to apologize. Let's hope that's true…for his sake," Leia replied, as her eyes wandered the room. She saw lots of their friends, particularly Mara, who was dancing with Tek, and their family of course. Even Ryoo and her great grandmother Elana had come from Serenno. But a tall Wookie caught her attention and she was surprised to see one at a place like Calin's resort. No one seemed too alarmed though, for he seemed to be carrying on a conversation with Master Yoda. Not far from the Wookie, she spotted Han Solo, nursing a glass of Corellian scotch and talking to Lando. She didn't know why, but she found herself pulled in his direction of the room.

"Thank you for dancing with me. I know I don't deserve it," Sav said, as they swayed slowly.

"I only hope you know that it is just as friends," Kimberly replied. He nodded.

"I do and I wasn't ready to accept that before…but I have now. That's why I wanted the chance to talk to you. I realize that what I did was wrong and I will forever regret that I scared you," Sav said. Kimberly probed his emotions with the Force and found no deception or malice.

"I feel that you are being sincere, but can I ask how this sudden change has come about?" Kimberly asked. He smiled.

"You are wise to question that and I am happy to tell you that Prince Raynald was only too happy to give me a very long talk after your father mentioned my persistence with you," he said, pausing for a moment.

"I was angry at first, but my prince spoke some very wise words. He knows what it feels like to be a man on our planet, after all. He helped me realize that the way women treat men on Dathomir is wrong, but he helped me see that I was no better than the witches if I was going to do the same to you. I had no right to treat you like a possession and I truly am sorry. I…I only hope you can find it in your sweet heart to forgive me," Sav said, bringing tears to Kimberly's eyes.

"I'm so glad and I would be happy to call you my friend. All is forgiven," she replied, as the warmth filled her heart.

"Is everything okay here?" Shane asked, as he approached. Kimberly smiled at him and hugged him tightly.

"Everything is fine. Sav was just apologizing," Kimberly told him.

"Yes, I owe you an apology too, General Organa. I acted very foolishly, but thanks to my employer and friend, I have seen the error of my ways," Sav said. Shane looked less than convinced, but the look on his love's face was slowly bringing him around. He knew Kimberly's empathic abilities would spot any deception on Sav's part.

"You are a very lucky man. Take good care of her," Sav said, as he extended his hand. Shane looked surprised, but then shook it, returning his gesture.

"I'll leave you two alone now. Good evening," Sav said, as he took his leave.

"Was that the same guy from a few days ago?" Shane asked in amazement.

"Believe it or not, it was. I guess Prince Raynald talked to him after my dad informed him of his persistence and actually got through to him," Kimberly replied.

"Well, I hope his sincerity lasts…for his sake. I'm not so trusting," Shane said.

"I know , but I sensed no deception from him. Now, I think you owe me a dance," she prodded. He smiled and kissed her gently.

"That I do," he replied, as he led her onto the dance floor.

* * *

><p>Anakin and Padme danced slowly, as they watched their children interact with their friends and significant others.<p>

"I can't believe our youngest kids are sixteen," Padme mentioned, as he held her close. He smirked.

"I can't believe we're going to be grandparents in three months," he added. She giggled.

"I know and I know we didn't think it would be this soon for us, but I can't help but be excited for the baby," she told him.

"I know and I am too. The baby is a blessing, even though he didn't exactly come as we expected, but we already love him," he replied.

"Speaking of him, Luke needs to get busy and pick a name. I gave him some really good choices," Padme said. He chuckled.

"I know, Luke told me. I think he was a little horrified by the size of that list," Anakin joked. She rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't that bad. You men just put everything off until the last minute. If I had left it up to you, we'd probably still be calling Luke and Leia, Baby Skywalker 1 and 2," she joked back. He laughed.

"I still think that has a nice ring to it," he teased, as he twirled her.

"Did you bring Jay and Jen's baby holos?" he asked curiously. She smiled mischievously and pulled a small hologram player from her clutch.

"Of course. Now, let's go mingle and embarrass them," she laughed, as they made their way toward some friends.

* * *

><p>Jayden smiled down at the girl in his arms, as they swayed slowly to the music. But as the song ended, he felt the overwhelming need to spend a few moments with her alone, away from prying eyes. That feeling and the fact that he could tell his mother was about to break out the baby holos and embarrass the life out of him, caused him to take her hand gently and lead her out toward the gardens. She eagerly followed and inhaled the wonderful scent of the various breeds of flowers that grew in Calin's large, amazing garden area.<p>

"Happy Life-Day Natalie," he whispered, as he gazed into her eyes. She smiled brightly.

"Happy Life-Day Jayden," she replied, as their lips met with tender passion. He gazed down at her, as their lips parted with love in his eyes. He smiled, as he spotted the necklace she was wearing. It was sparkly purple in the shape of a flower, albeit slightly misshapen. He had carved it himself as a boy and given it to her on her tenth Life-Day, right before a dangerous encounter with Prince Xizor, one that he had displayed his incredible powers to protect her.

"I can't believe you still wear this," he said, as he fingered the small trinket.

"Of course I do, I wear it every day. It's my most important piece of jewelry," she replied, as she kissed his cheek and tucked her head under his chin.

"I love you, my princess," Jayden said.

"I love you too, my handsome Jedi," Natalie replied, as the continued to hold each other.

* * *

><p>"Oh Marcus, you need to see this one too. She was just so cute…they both were. Oh, sometimes I miss those days," Padme gushed, as she was on her way down memory lane with their baby holos. Jenna was mortified and noticed that her twin had wisely escaped the room.<p>

"No Mom, stop showing those! This is embarrassing!" Jenna hissed, as she tried tugging her boyfriend away.

"Oh come on Jen, there's nothing embarrassing. They're just baby holos and you were cute," Marcus teased. Jenna growled and dragged him onto the dance floor. He chuckled, as she put her arms around him and they started to sway.

"Keep laughing and I'll tighten my arms and choke you," Jenna growled, making him laugh.

"No you won't," he replied, as he lowered his lips to hers. She was caught completely off guard. He had never kissed her in public before, much less in the same room that her father was in.

"Still want to choke me?" he asked mischievously, as he enjoyed her speechlessness. Her mouth was slightly ajar, as she stared back at him in surprise. And now she was fighting the urge not to tackle him to the floor and kiss him senseless.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked. He simply shrugged.

"I can be bold when I want to be and I love you. There's no need to hide it. In fact, I want everyone to know that you're mine," he replied. The word mine coming from his lips made her heart fill with warmth.

"Happy Life-Day, Jenna," he said, as he cupped her cheek tenderly. She stared into his warm brown eyes. Her blue eyes fluttered closed, as their lips met again in a passionate kiss.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Leia said, as she approached timidly.<p>

"Hey yourself, princess," Han replied, as he continued to sip at his drink. Lando had left to dance with Ryoo and Chewie was nearby with Master Yoda.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she mentioned. He shrugged.

"Lando invited me and I'm not one to turn down free booze," he replied. She nodded.

"The company ain't half bad though and somehow Chewie seems to know some of the Jedi, so he really wanted to come," Han replied.

"Chewbacca aided Master Yoda in the liberation of Kashyyyk during the final days of the Clone Wars. It was one of the last battles before my father's final battle with Palpatine in the Senate Rotunda," Leia recounted.

"Small galaxy, I guess," he concluded.

"You're not still dating that tool that can't handle a blaster, right?" he asked, referring to Jake.

"No, I dumped Jake months ago after I found out he cheated on me, remember?" Leia replied. Han chuckled.

"Oh yeah, I'm surprised your daddy let him live for that one," Han said.

"I don't want to talk about my sleamo ex," Leia replied. He smirked.

"Sure, sure, Your Highnessness," he drawled. Leia huffed.

"Why do you call me that? I'm not royalty," Leia complained, fire in her eyes. Han smirked. He really liked that fire inside her. There were so many girls that didn't have that, none he had ever met anyway.

"You might as well be. You're a Skywalker. Your Mom is practically Queen of Coruscant so that makes you a Princess," Han replied. Leia clenched her teeth and was about to rail on him when he asked another question that caused her anger to deflate.

"So you wanna dance or what Princess?" Han asked. Leia opened her mouth to retort, but found no words.

"Well?" he asked impatiently, as he held his hand out.

"Sure," she replied, as she took his hand.

* * *

><p>Boots sounded thickly on the durasteel floor, as the deformed looking male walked into the med ward in the hidden mountain facility. In a bacta tank by the far wall, a figure floated in a clear solution with an oxygen mask over the face. Raven colored, unruly shoulder length hair was plastered to the person's neck and youth was obvious in the visible features. A muscular physique was also evident and as the eyes snapped open, irises of Sithly yellow burned through the glass.<p>

"Your completion is close, my Master. Revenge shall be yours for the taking," Taurek said, as he clicked on the monitor for his Master and began playing the recent footage that had been secretly captured.

"The boy's powers are everything we feared they may be. Bane and the Mandalorians failed to take him out. But his inexperience will make him no match for you," Taurek said, as the figure watched the battle between Blaine and Jayden.

"Blaine was inferior. Our new agent will be in place soon and you will be unstoppable in your new form. The galaxy and everything you desire shall be yours for the taking, my Master," Taurek hissed, as the images on the monitor changed again, this time showing him what he truly wanted to see. His reaction was evident, as bubbles escaped the mask and he moved the newly grown, powerful limbs. His eyes bored into the image of his prize.

"_Soon my Queen…the time draws near…" _the figure thought, before he slipped into unconsciousness once again. Taurek turned the monitor off and left his Master to rest. It wouldn't be long now and all their plans would come to fruition…


End file.
